Enfer
by GeniusofFun
Summary: Picking up a cellphone and returning the thing to its original owner should not lend in you in the middle of a murder investigation. Perhaps the road to hell really is paved with good intentions. Somewhat LxOC. (Now with a sequel).
1. I

**Picking up a cellphone and returning the thing to it's original owner should not lend in you in the middle of a murder investigation. Perhaps the road to hell really is paved with good intentions. Somewhat LxOC.**

 **Enfer**

| the road to hell is paved with good intentions |

 **I**

.

.

In a perfect world, people aren't careless.

But this, being the world she lives in, it's not perfect and people are careless and drop their cellphones on their way to class and she happens to walk by the thing and picks it up, the action giving her a series of choices like in those bad choose your own destiny kind of game.

A, she can replace the thing on the ground, forgetting its existence completely and hoping that whoever had the brilliant idea to drop it would trace back steps to find it.

B, she could keep it. You never know when you're going to need a second cellphone and the person would eventually buy a new one to replace it – not once realizing that she had it.

C, she could play the nice little college student, dial back the last number on the phone and hoping that this person would know the whereabouts of the owner and tell him/her to come pick up the damn phone.

At first, Nao is tempted to just put the damn thing back. It's not her problem – she isn't careless enough to drop her phone in a public area where someone is bound to pick it up. Why should the fate of this tiny piece of technology be her burden when its owner obviously could not be bothered with it?

But then she'd sighed, flipping the phone opened and dialing back the last number. And this is how exactly she found herself sitting at the café near Toho university, eyes trailing impatiently on the door waiting for the owner of that phone.

The man she'd spoken to as she explained the situation seemed amused. His son was apparently not the forgetful type, but he did wear oversize jeans and that would probably explain why the thing fell off in the first place.

He'd thanked her three times, asking her if she wanted monetary compensation (which she didn't) and finally agreed that he would send his son to fetch the phone wherever she wanted.

She'd picked the place closest to her school, gave a brief description of what she looked like and hung up not feeling at all proud of herself. She should've just left the damn thing on the ground.

There are much better ways she could be spending her time. Her chemistry exam is in two days and she still hasn't started studying for it. Not that it's particularly hard for her to understand and, if she's honest with herself, she knows she won't start the actual studying until the night before, but lying to herself has become a talent.

Each time the door of the café opens, she looks up and waits. She's impatient, can't you tell, and eager to get out of here as fast as possible.

And finally, her impatience is rewarded.

The oddest man she's ever seen walks through the door. Odd in the way that he looks and what he wears. There's black hair messily styled on his head, huge dark circles under his eyes (and she thought she didn't sleep enough) and, most improbably of all, he has his finger in his mouth as he scans the room.

Nao blinks.

The man turns to look at her, a blank stare on his face.

Nao blinks again.

The man moves towards her table, obviously recognizing the phone on top of it.

She blinks again, because that's the only thing that she thinks of doing at that moment.

"You have my phone." The voice is plain, no emotion in it. Nao regards the phone and then the man, back to the phone and then the man again.

"Uh-uh." No one has stunned her into silence before. He looks at her with no emotion on his face whatsoever, eyes not moving from her face. She's pretty sure her mouth is opened.

Snapping back into motion when he grabs the thing in his hand, Nao suddenly remembers that she has things to do that do not include staring at this man a moment longer.

"Thank you." But even that sounds flat – if he's that detached about his phone, then maybe she should've just left it where she found it in the first place.

"Be more careful next time." His eyes snap up to her, the first emotion she's seen him display since she's laid eyes on him. Gathering her book, she shoves it into her bag and grabs her coffee. "I have to go study, have a nice day." On her way out, as she stops to throw the coffee in the trash, she turns around. His eyes are still on her, thumb in his mouth and eyes rimmed black.

She shrugs her shoulders and walks out, deciding that it's better if she forgets the whole thing.

And it actually works – until the next time she runs into him.

.

.

Organic chemistry exam done, Nao hands the paper to the teacher at the desk and takes her time walking out of the classroom. She's one of the first to hand the paper back and she'd lie if she said she didn't enjoy the disbelieving glances the other students shot her way as she finally leaves the room.

It's a nice day today, the kind that is warm, but not so much that every movement makes you sweat. She walks on campus before finding a bench under a tree and flinging herself onto it.

She'd spent most of the night awake to study and now that it's over with, her brain is fried and the rush of adrenaline is long gone and makes her wish that she'd gotten more than four hours of sleep. Her mother always tells her that she shouldn't wait till the last minute to crack open her school books – but she's a twenty-year-old university student, what does the woman expect?

She closes her eyes, enjoying the fact that her next class is three hours away. She certainly has the time for a small nap and it's not like anyone ever bothers her.

But the moment is cut short.

"You're the one who found my cellphone." She only cracks one eye open, gazing at the man in front of her who just ruined her peaceful thoughts.

There he is, the exact same as before, in the exact same clothes as before, staring at her with his dark rimmed eyes and his thumb in his mouth.

What the hell?

Her eyes are opened now and she's pretty sure she's glaring, the muscles in her face tense. See, that is what being a good Samaritan brings – nothing good.

"Can I help you?" She doesn't mean to be hostile. No, scratch that – her tone is laced with nothing inviting for a reason. That man is careless enough to drop his phone and now he's disturbing her sleep. What's next?

"Ah. I've recently been informed that I should thank you properly for the return of my phone." He actually fishes out the thing from his pocket, showing it to her. It's plenty awkward. She blinks, the irritation draining from her face.

"Recently?" She looks at the man. "You don't go out much, do you?" But it's a rhetorical question – the man clearly doesn't spend much time in direct sunlight or sleep at night. And while he's not ugly, she can't picture him with friends going out for drinks or having a girlfriend.

He casually ignores what she says with a shrug of his shoulders, his eyes focusing on her once more.

"As I could not think of anything to get you, I would like it if you accompanied me to lunch." It's not the words he uses, but the way he says it. He's staring at her like she really doesn't have a choice in the matter. She almost wants to tempt her fate and tell him no.

"You won't leave until I come with you, uh?" He nods his head, his back folding. If she cared at all, she would think that he has a posture problem, but she doesn't care – so she doesn't think about it. "Fine." Her arm cracks as she reaches for the bag and finally stands up.

.

.

He chooses a place not too far from the school, actually not that far from the café where she first met him.

It's not fancy by any means and mostly frequented by students because of its low prices and the fact that don't bother checking your ID if you order a drink. There's a TV not too far away from her seat and she's glad – it keeps her distracted from the man with the huge eyes who keeps staring at her.

"You never told me your name." Eyes trail away from the television to the man. She shrugs her shoulders.

"You never asked." And besides, it's not like she gives out her name to just anyone she meets. His black eyes shine, the corner of his lips twitching. He obviously doesn't smile much.

"I'm Ryuga Hideki." She snorts.

"Of course you are." But his expression doesn't change and she raises an eyebrow. "Like the phony drama actor?" He nods his head, thumb firmly attached to his lips.

"I am told I look nothing like him." She snorts again, a slow sardonic smile on her face.

"I'll have to agree with that." Ryuga Hideki, for all intents and purposes, is a very handsome man – and he's also way too stupid to be at Toho university. "I'm Deushi Nao." Nothing particularly exciting about her name. No one named her after some idiot actor.

The waiter comes and goes with their order. She sticks with what she knows best - a bowl of Udon. Besides, it's too hot for her traditional bowl of ramen. She looks over to Ryuga's plate of desert and rolls her eyes.

"So, what do you study at Toho?" Not that she's curious, but she wonders what set of skills the man possesses.

"Ah. Criminology." Hum, she pauses, trying to picture this man as a profiler on some police show. Sure, that could work. He certainly looks eccentric enough to be surrounded by serial killers. "And you, Nao-san?" She swallows a handful of noodles.

"Oh. Chemistry." She thinks it's the first time she's seen him blink. He looks at her as if this is the farthest thing he had in mind for someone like her. She's almost offended – almost. "Why, what's wrong with that?"

"I'm surprised, that's all." And he genuinely looks surprised. His eyes shine black and his fork remains in the cake. "One would not think that when they look at you. I imagined you more in the humanities department." She can't figure out if it's a compliment or an insult.

She shrugs.

"I don't care much for human interactions or their history." And suddenly, his thumb is back in his mouth and his head is cocked to the side.

"What about justice?" Is that what this is? Does he think what he studies is so much more interesting than anything else? Uh, he certainly doesn't give off the cocky vibe when you first look at him.

"Justice is too abstract, changes from one person to the next." He's biting the top of the finger, eyes darker somehow.

"Do you have an opinion on it? Let's say, about the Kira case? Some would argue that Kira has his own brand of justice, that he's cleaning up the streets and making the crime rate drop."

"I think that Kira is a bit of a hypocrite." A blink, urging her to go on. She sighs, how did a simple conversation turn into something so odd?

"Well, he obviously believes that he's making the world a better place. He wants to create some sort of utopia. But he's also murdering people while doing it. If he doesn't plan to kill himself after he's done, then he's not making much sense."

"And if Kira killed himself, would that excuse his behaviour?" What is this? Is there a hidden camera in the back?

"It would make him coherent." She pauses. "But Kira doesn't strike me as the type of person who would commit suicide. Obviously, whoever is doing this believes that their brand of punishment is the right one – so they have an ego problem. I don't think suicide is in their future."

She remembers when she'd witnessed the podcast, both of her parents keeping their eyes glued on the television as the man claiming to be the famous detective L announced that he was chasing Kira.

"I also believe Kira has an ego problem. I'm curious, did you ever give a thought as to who might be Kira?"

"No. It's why I don't study criminology. I have no interest in solving cases." His gaze doesn't waver from hers, almost as if he's trying to determine if she's saying the truth.

"But if you had to? Who would you guess?" He must be very good at interrogating people. He certainly picked the right subject to study. The first time she'd seen the man, he'd shown no interest in anything, not even his lost cellphone.

"This is a weird conversation."

"Humor me, please." Her forehead furrows in concentration as she tries to piece everything she knows about Kira, which is basically nothing more than next person.

"Well, Kira is obviously privy to classified information on those he murders, so I'm guessing either a police officer or someone related to one." She bites her lip. "But a police officer would have experience and not have fallen for that trick on the television a few weeks ago. So, I'm going to go with a relative. And he/she would have screwed ideals and clearly lacks maturity – someone young maybe? I really don't know."

She almost falls off her chair when she notices how the man has crouched on his chair, thumb still in his mouth and regarding her with a new serious face, the kind he'd never worn before.

There is a hidden camera somewhere, she's sure. The host just waiting for the right moment to pop in and tell her that she'll be on national TV. She looks around her suspiciously.

"Nao-san's reasoning is very good." And as he looks at her, with this curious smile spreading on his lips and the way his eyes shift, like he's coming up with an idea (she's sure she's not going to like it)…

Nao wonders why she didn't just leave that cellphone on the ground.

* * *

 **a/n : Hi. Um, well this is my first Death Note story. I've read a lot of Death Note stories with OC's and I thought I'd give it a go, for once with a character who actually has no interest in solving a case. I still don't know if she'll end up with someone or not, but at least she'll be friends with L. Let me know if you think I should continue this story, feedback is always appreciated. I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading!**

 **I do not own Death Note.**


	2. II

**If she has to choose between pastries and boys, she'll take the pastries.**

 **Enfer**

| I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea |

 **II**

.

.

Her first class of the day is canceled.

That's fine, she thinks.

She makes her way outside to find her usual bench by that tall tree that she likes. Most students grumble under their breaths, heaviness around their eyes. Sure, it sucks that she had to wake up early for no reason and that she doesn't have the time to return home before the next class, but at least it's sunny outside.

Her mother always says that she is too passive. Nao just thinks she adapts quicker than most, that there are some things in life that do not warrant getting into a fight – that she's rational.

"Good morning." Her eyelids flutter at the words and she nods her head as the man takes a seat next to her. Like this – she comes to understand that this man will seek her out whenever the fancy strikes him and that she can't do anything about it, so why bother?

Besides, he always comes bearing sweets for her and Nao conveniently forgets to have breakfast. It's a win-win scenario; he gets to ask her whatever he wants and she has glazed donuts to look forward to.

"My class was canceled." She says for absolutely no reason, the scent of croissants wafting all the way to her. The opened box sits between them and she grabs the puffiest one, biting into it greedily, realizes there's almond butter inside and her eyes close in bliss.

He's almost sweet - almost.

"If Nao-San were L and she knew who was Kira, but lacked the proof – what would she do?" She loves her campus early in the morning. Toho is an elite school and the scenery is calm, beautiful, relaxing.

"Is this for one of your class?" In the two weeks she's known the man, he throws the weirdest questions at her. She thinks he only does it to be reassured.

"Something like that." He sits hunched over the bench, knees propped so his elbows can rest on them. And, as always, his thumb trails to his lips and his eyes focus on her.

Her mother is right; she really is too passive. She adapts too quickly to change and she never puts up a fight. She has absolutely no interest in criminology and yet here she is.

And she always answers his question.

"If I were L, then I'd be the greatest detective in the world, wouldn't I?." She pauses for a moment, imagining herself at the top – the best of the best. "I wouldn't care if I lacked proof. I'd have confidence in me and in my abilities. If I was sure, I'd just arrest my suspect without a second thought, knowing that I'm right."

She bites into the croissant once again, crumbs falling onto her jeans. There is no delicate way to eat this pastry and it's not like she'd ever pretend to be a lady. The man next to her is silent for a moment, eyes on her but unfocused. He clearly doesn't care that she's making a mess.

"And if you'd already revealed yourself to your suspect, what would you do?"

"I wouldn't do that. Kira kills with a name and with a face, I'd avoid that." He's obviously not pleased with her answer, his eyes narrowing.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." She's hit a nerve, maybe this man is just a fan of L and has his own theories about the infamous detective and how he operates.

She shrugs her shoulders, rubbing her hands to remove the last bits of the pastry from them. Nao looks up to the sky – it's clear today, with absolutely no clouds.

"Kira is smart. He's already privy to classified police information. If I'd revealed myself to him, thinking that he didn't know my name, then it's because I'd be certain of his next move."

"And what would be his next move?" He is back to his usual self, the detached and calm one.

"Am I pretending to be Kira now?" She's amused – it's just too early for deep conversations to be taken seriously. He merely blinks at her, not bothering to answer her question.

"I'd try to infiltrate the case." There's a moment of silence and Nao pretends not to notice the way black eyes bore into her as if the man has just figured out something she doesn't know.

.

.

On the surface, it seems very improbably that Deushi Nao and Yagami Light would know each other.

Sure, they went to the same High School. However, she is two years his senior and they have no friends in common. They don't even have the same interests (Nao isn't dumb, far from it, but she excels in things like math and chemistry and Light is a genius who has an affinity for understanding the human mind).

If one was to dig deeper, they would find out that both of their mothers know each other (they meet at a Parent-Teacher event one time and the two women hit it off because they both understand what it's like to be married to career orientated men, have independent children and share a love for TV dramas).

But just because their mothers know each other doesn't mean that the two young adults spend much time together. So, one would have to dig even deeper to establish a connection.

And the connection is this; Sayu Yagami.

It's Nao's mother's idea that her daughter, who is already fourteen at the time and very responsible for her age, babysits the youngest of the Yagami children. While Light would happily do it, he's too busy with school and tennis, and Sayu Yagami requires attention and care that her busy older brother can simply not provide.

For three years, Nao spends many of her weekends at the Yagami household. Sayu is nice, just like the little sister she never had and of course, happens to spend a lot of time with her, but also with her older brother.

"Oh, Nao-chan – it's nice to see you!" Nao is not paying attention at first. And then she notices the boy and smiles.

He really does seem happy to see her, the surprise in his face making him look almost innocent. Light Yagami has always been a particularly handsome boy, but now eighteen he is just ridiculously hot.

"It's nice to see you too, Light. I saw your picture on the school's paper, congratulations by the way." It's not like she expected anything less from the boy. He's always been so smart.

"Thank you. Sayu will be jealous when I tell her that I've seen you in school, she misses you very much." Nao smiles softly and thinks about the young girl who still calls her every week just to give her an update of her everyday life.

"I should go and see her. It's been almost two months." It's not like she's extremely busy and she's rather ashamed that it's been that long. But Nao is passive in her behaviour and very lazy at times.

"My last class is from one to three. You should come over tonight, I'm sure my mother would be very pleased to see you. She mentioned that you were attending Toho, but I had yet to run into you." It makes sense. The sciences building is an entity of its own. It's very stern and mostly consists of its students in white lab coats.

"Sure, I'd love to." And now she really has to go if she wants to reach her class in time. She tells Light that she'll meet him by the main entrance and smiles because of happy coincidences.

She really should pay more attention to her surroundings.

.

.

"Nao-san never told me she knew _Light-kun_."

"You never asked." She smiles then, at Ryuga's wide eyes and at Light's questioning look.

"You two know each other?"

"Uh-uh." Obviously, Light expects some type of explanation. However, Ryuga doesn't look like he's ready to offer one and Nao doesn't want to try and explain how or why she knows the man.

" _Light-kun_ has just been telling me that he can't have coffee with me because of a previous engagement." It's odd, the way he says Light's name, but Nao brushes it off. "But since it's you, I'm sure we could all have coffee together."

He looks very amused, Light looks completely lost and Nao nods her head – basically because this is free coffee and maybe she can also have a muffin.

"Sure. If that's okay with Light." Nao's eyes move away from Ryuga's and she smiles at the younger boy. He stares between the two for a second and then smiles back, the unease gone from his face.

"Of course, no problem."

And this is exactly how Nao ends up sandwiched between the two very different boys; Light to her right and Ryuga to her left. She supposes they make an odd trio, the waitress smiles at Light, completely ignores Ryuga and obviously wonders which of the two is her boyfriend.

"So, how do you two know each other?" He really doesn't want to drop this. Nao looks at Ryuga, bumping her head to the side. She's not having that conversation.

"Nao-san found something of mine and returned it." And then he blinks, thumb trailing his lips. "How do you know Nao-San, _Light-kun_?" Light relaxes into his seat and smiles at her. She smiles right back.

"She used to babysit my little sister."

"And you." She adds with a grin.

"I just happened to be there." She finds it very amusing, the way he rolls his eyes at her. The waitress comes and goes with their order, batting her pretty eyelashes at Light who barely notices. Nao notices though.

The cup of coffee is large and just what she needs after chem lab. Her blueberry muffin is winking at her and she reaches for the sugar, five packets all at once and rips them open, pouring the content in without a second thought.

When she glances up again, both man are staring at her.

"I like my coffee sweet?" She says, reaching for a sixth pack and then grabs another just in case.

It's the first time Ryuga truly smiles at her. His eyes are wide and his thumb is not in his mouth, his eyes less focused than she's used to. She doesn't know why exactly he smiles at her, but she answers it naturally, dumping the rest of the sugar in her cup.

"Nao-san didn't ask us how we knew each other." Is it impolite to say that she doesn't care? Probably, so she just shrugs her shoulders.

"Well, Light did always say that he wanted to study criminology. And Ryuga said he studied criminology. So, you met in class?" Light laughs.

"Close, Ryuga tied with me at the entrance exams. We met during the opening ceremony." Good natured Light, who seems happy even if he has someone to share his first spot with. He's just so nice.

Ah, well there was two representatives the paper said, but only one picture. Nao had smiled when she'd notice Light on the front page, even brought the paper home for her mom to see. She'd completely forgotten that there was a second one.

"Yes, _Light-kun_ and I always seem to match each other."

Anyone else would have noticed the sudden chill in the air as Light and Ryuga smile at each other, not friendly at all. Nao notices, of course, and then she turns her head to the side and decides that her muffin is much more interesting.

* * *

 **a/n : Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. It's certainly interesting to know what people think of my story. I quite like my OC and I'm happy that you like her too. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed, please drop a review and let me know what you think. Till next time!**


	3. III

**Later on, when she looks back, it sort of makes sense.**

 **Enfer**

 **III**

| indeed the safest road to hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts |

.

.

There are very little things Nao would consider herself good at.

Being good at something means you have to apply yourself and while Nao certainly has the smarts to do anything, she clearly lacks the drive and the attention. She can start things and then drop them very quickly, which infuriates everyone around her (mostly her mother, but Nao has sort of given up trying to please her parents, makes life much easier on her).

When she's seventeen and all her friends are anxious about choosing Universities, Nao has already been accepted at Toho. She refuses the scholarship – it's not like her father can't afford the tuition and the beauty of a Japanese University is that she doesn't need to have extracurricular activities or teachers' recommendations.

Chemistry is something she's good at, that she even enjoys on some level. It's a no-nonsense branch of science; math for no reason doesn't appeal to her, physics to her is a waste of time and biology means learning names and she just doesn't want to. She's not bad at Japanese, already speaks English and knows enough about history not to make a fool of herself.

Chemistry is just plain logic. If you understand the basics, know how to balance equations and such, which Nao does, then there's nothing stopping you. If there's an anomaly, the system will try to regulate it by trying to snuff it out – simple.

In all, Nao is truly satisfied with her life. Sure, she won't ever become some top-notch doctor or a wealthy lawyer, but she'll be content in a lab with chemical waste and trying to find a way to dispose of it.

"Nao-san is very passive, isn't she?" She blinks, looking up from her spiral notebook at the man who managed to sneak up on her. His voice drawls out, making her forget what she was doing in the first place.

Black eyes, thumb stuck in his mouth and that very pale skin tone that Nao sort of got used to in the last couple of weeks she's been around the man.

"I guess most people would say that." Her mom, obviously. People who do not really know her would just think that she's withdrawn, not passive.

"And what does Nao-san think?" Her? Well, it's true that it's hard to find something that truly interests her in life. Some people feel too much, some very little. It's not so much that she's passive, it's just that she doesn't care. Her mother always tells her that she was a very calm child, almost never cried for attention.

"I think that it depends on the situation. If I needed to do something, then I'd do it. The world will keep turning even if I don't shout my opinion." Nao actually looks at the man then, his expression a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"Ryuga, how old are you exactly?" He blinks at her.

"I'm twenty-four." She smiles.

"That means you're older than me." By four years. He doesn't look like it. To be honest, if Nao takes the way he sits hunched over and the almost innocent look in his face as bites his thumb, she would have guesses eighteen at the most.

"I fail to see how that is relevant, Nao-san."

"That means…" And she takes a deep breath. "That I'm going to call you Senpai from now on." She lets out a small chuckle and he looks taken aback for just a second.

See, she can showcase emotions.

.

.

Nao really wonders why men keep bringing her food. She doesn't look starved by any means and is even a little heavier than most women she knows. She has a decent amount of body fat, even has what people call curves and while she wears loose fitted clothes, no one would look at her and think that she didn't eat a decent amount of food.

"Here, Nao-chan. My mother packed you a lunch." The twenty-year-old girl blinks at the very well made bento. Her mother always packs her lunches, but Nao never takes them. She hates having to carry a heavy bag and most of her classes are in the morning anyways. By one o'clock she's already home – so she packs an apple to munch on and then goes to school.

Light must have really looked for her. Like she said, the sciences building has its own life and it's rare to see someone from another department wander here.

She's sort of flattered.

"That's so sweet." You know, if she was younger, she'd probably be interested in him. He's particularly gorgeous to look at, well-mannered and she knows her mother would approve because she's seen him grow up.

"I thought we could eat together, ne?" He cocks his head to the side, brown eyes mirroring in the sun. If she thought she could get away with it, she'd pinch his cheeks. If that was Sayu, she wouldn't have given it a second thought. "I have a two-hour break, what about you?"

"Oh, I'm done for the day." She loves her timetable, loves how convenient it is. Most of the chemistry classes or very early in the morning. Nao doesn't mind walking like a zombie to her classes if it means she has her afternoons free.

Light finds them a bench near the weird fountain their school has and he hands her a pair of chopsticks, smiling all the while – Nao could get used to this. It's not like mama Yagami can't cook and the weather is so nice. She breathes, happy and calm.

"Ne, Nao-san, do you think I'm evil?" Uh? She turns to look at Light and his innocent face and his sad eyes.

"Of course not." She answers easily. She used to babysit the boy, has known him for a very long time. No one could look at Light and think he's evil. A little manipulative, sure – Nao's not stupid. She knows very well that the boy can make people do what he wants, but it's not like they are unhappy doing what he asks them to.

"Do you really mean that?" Hope shines in his eyes. She smiles then, softer than usual.

"Yes, I do." He hands her the bento, his fingers touching hers. The touch is a tad too long and for a second Nao thinks that the boy may have a crush on her. But she shrugs away the thought and dives into the food.

.

.

Nao has friends.

Not many in Toho, but she keeps in contact with most of the kids she went to High School with. She even has a friend who went to study on a scholarship in the US.

Most of the students in her program are male, not that she minds – it just means that she sticks out. The point is, Nao has friends, that she sees them almost every other week.

It's not like she's totally unsociable. She knows that she needs people around her, people who share her interests and can talk to about homework and such.

Which is why she can't very much understand why her time seems to be shared with two boys, completely different from each other and most importantly, so very different from her.

She likes Light, she always has. He isn't particularly interested in science, she knows that. But he's smart enough to know what she's talking about and they have a history.

And Nao doesn't really know what to think of Ryuga, but he somehow finds her interesting enough to seek her company and bring her sweets – Nao never refuses free food.

So, her time lately, in the four weeks since school started, has either been spent with Ryuga, Light or with both of them.

She's started to notice, not that she minds or anything, all these two ever seem to talk about are cases and criminology and Kira. Kira this and Kira that and Ryuga always asks her what she thinks about the great detective L and how she would handle cases if she were him – it's redundant.

So, here she is, sandwiched between these two – again, in the same café as always, trying to ignore the two of them and concentrate on her notes. She doesn't even know why they bother inviting her to come. She knows why she does though – Light buys her coffee and Ryuga always buys her a pastry of some kind.

"Nao-san is not paying attention." She doesn't even bother looking up from her notes, eyes trailing over equations and particles and the chemistry formulas that she's allowed during her exam.

"I have to study for my inorganic chemistry exam." Does she really? No. But she doesn't care enough about whatever they are talking about to have an opinion and she might as well do something productive while she's here.

"Nao-chan, you don't care about Kira?" Her eyes leave the page and she blinks at Light.

"Well, I don't see why I should. As long as Kira doesn't try to kill me, he can do whatever he wants." And you know, as long as he doesn't try to kill her parents. She'd be pretty pissed if her mother dropped dead all of a sudden.

Light smiles at her then; almost like he's pleasantly surprised.

"Nao-san has excellent deductive skills; she would be a great asset to the Task Force." Her attention snaps to Ryuga, who doesn't look very pleased with her previous answer.

"We already had that discussion, Senpai." She sighs then – clearly they won't let her go back to her notes. "I don't want to be part of that."

"Are you saying that if L asked you to be a part of the case, you'd say no?" She really has to reconsider spending so much time with both of them. Why would L ever ask her to be part of his team? She doesn't even know the man. Light is bent towards her, staring curiously. Even Ryuga's thumb has dropped away from his lips.

"Not that it will ever happen, but yeah, I'd say no." There's a shift and Nao swears she sees Light send a smug smile towards Ryuga.

"What would it take? For Nao-san to say yes?" You know, her life was a lot more carefree before she decided to spend her afternoons with those two. She kind of misses that. "If he'd give her anything she asked for, would she say yes?"

She doesn't know why, but at that moment she feels trapped between the two, as if both of them are opposite forces and that they are asking her to choose one.

"Anyone can be bought." Is her final answer. And she doesn't feel like answering anymore. She's passive, sure. But even she has her limit. She does not want to pick a fight, but she'll leave without a single regret if they keep pestering her with that.

Ryuga's eyes shine then, sending a look towards Light. Light answers it with a cool smile. Nao just picks at the crumbs her piece of cake left in the plate.

They don't ask her any more questions.

.

.

When Nao makes it home that day, her mother isn't there. She finds a note on the refrigerator that says she went to check up on Light's mom, since the boy's dad is still recovering in the hospital, and that there's food in the fridge.

She crashes on the couch, but only for a second since the doorbell echoes into the silent house. She groans, pushes herself up and drags her feet to the door. She can never catch a damn break.

She swings the door open, wonders who the hell is disturbing her peace and blinks at Ryuga who stares at her with his wide black eyes, draped in his usual white shirt and loose fitted jeans – what the…

"Uh, Ryuga-Senpai? How'd you know where I lived?" A very valid question, since she can't recall even giving the boy her address.

"Nao-san, I hope I'm not intruding – but I would like to ask a favor." Okay, so he doesn't answer her question and enters her house and Nao realizes that he isn't wearing shoes. She closes the door behind her and follows the man who is very clearly intruding.

Nao has a very nice house. She likes her house. She's just not sure about how she feels when Ryuga takes a seat on her couch, his knees propped upwards and looks at her that way.

"A favor?" She says, settling down in the armchair.

"Yes, although it won't make sense to Nao-san if I don't reveal something to her first." So, she blinks, not really she sure what he could reveal to her. "First, I have to know – are we friends, Nao-san?" She blinks.

"I suppose so, Ryuga-Senpai."

"And friends keep each other's secrets or so I've been told…" She nods.

"Yes, friends keep secrets." That seems to be what he wants to hear. There's a silence that stretches and in that small lapse in time, his black eyes study her face carefully, his thumb grazing at his lips ever so slightly.

He seems to find whatever he is looking for and nods at her.

"I am L." Three words.

You know, when she looks back on it later, it makes sense.

* * *

 **a/n : I'm very please that people love Nao. She's great to write. A special thank you to everyone who takes the time to review and enjoys this story. I love to read all of your feedback I hope you enjoyed this chapter - thanks for reading.**


	4. IV

**Life's a bitch, because if it was a slut it would be easy.**

 **Enfer**

 **IV**

| All right, then, I'll go to hell |

.

.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

And Nao is an idiot.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

She should have seen it from miles away.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

This is a horribly cruel joke that the universe plays on her.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

Hadn't she said it before? It seems so far away, but she remembers saying how L should just arrest his suspect because just the fact that he believed it would be proof enough. And as the man reveals his true self, producing folder after folder, pictures and notes and proof, Nao can only blink.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

Kira can kill with a name and a face. Light is Kira. Light knows her name. Light has seen her face for the last ten years. And while she understands that Light Yagami may be fond of her, Nao understands enough about Kira to know he wouldn't spare her. Light is Kira and Kira can kill her because of Light.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

For a split second, she rationalizes that Kira would have no reason to kill her. She is not a criminal and she is not part of the Task Force – she is not a problem. At least, not before Ryuga, Ryuzaki, L or whatever the hell he called himself entered the picture.

It dawns on her then, why the man always made sure she tagged along with the two of them. He was using her as bait, probably to make her look like she was already part of L's team and made to spy on Light. It explains why Light had been so suspicious at first, the way he sought her out suddenly after years.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

"Get out." For the first time in forever, Nao sees red. What she understands at that moment is that she is a pawn, carefully placed and exposed, that L's trapped her in this game. Light knows now and if he really is Kira, which would explain a lot – someone young, someone close to a police officer, someone who had access and too much ego – he'll keep a close eye on her.

For once, he doesn't protest and Nao can't even look at him as he gathers the papers. She waits for the sound of the closing door and then stares numbly at the walls for what seems like hours.

 _Light is Kira. Ryuga is L. Shinigamis may or may not exist._

For once, she cares – about her life, about the danger she's just put herself in, about how stupid she can be and too naïve and just too fucking passive that she lends herself in the middle of some war between abstract forces.

For once in her life, she's scared. And she doesn't know what to do.

.

.

Nao decides that the best course of action is to never leave her bed again.

This is not her being a coward. A coward would try to run. No, Nao believes that she's just delaying her fate, that at least hidden under her blanket she won't ever have to face the shit pile that is currently her life.

By the third day, her mother is worried enough to call a doctor. But Nao's not sick, not really. She's being ridiculous and overdramatic and that's probably why her mother worries in the first place. In her twenty years on this earth, Nao has always been able to get away with her passive behaviour and her general laziness –

And now she's in trouble because of that. Nao has never thought of herself as being easily manipulated – she is just too smart for that. Not a genius, no, but the reason she never studied human behaviour in the first place is because she believed she understood people's intentions.

It's so not the time for an emotional crisis and yet here she is, hidden away from the world under her blankets.

"You know…" A voice drawls out on the fourth day. This just shows how out of it she's been, since she didn't even hear her bedroom door open. "When your mother said you were depressed I almost didn't believe her."

A hand reaches out to pull away one of the many covers over her head and blinks at the intruder.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Sure, enough, her father stands in her doorway, arms crossed over his chest and regarding her with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression.

"Well, your mother called. And since my only child is currently hiding in her bed and has made a pillow fortress, I think her worries are justified, no?" She rolls her eyes. The man moves, closes the door and settles on her desk chair.

"I suppose." She grumbles out, painfully sitting up. If Nao has most of her mother's looks, then she borrows her father's personality on a daily base. The man is always so calm and cool, with that amused turn of his lips.

"So, what's the problem? Your mother believes it's boy trouble, but you and I both know that's not the case – I keep thinking about that poor boy who used to follow you around in middle school…" Ah, yes Souhei. So, she might've broken his heart – he's over it.

Nao stares at her father and sighs. There's no use beating around the bush, not if she wants to go back to her blanket security anytime soon.

"I am a pawn in the middle of a game between a mass murderer who can kill with a name and a face and a narcissistic detective who can't take no for an answer." And you know what her father does?

He snorts.

"I'm going to die, dad. It's not funny. That's what happens to pawns, they are sacrificed just like lambs and the worst is that they don't even realize someone's sending him to slaughter." She makes a face and a wave of fear crashes in her bones.

"Sweetheart, you are my daughter and I love you. But you should really stop with the melodrama." She makes a face, of course he doesn't believe her. "And you are not a pawn, you're too smart for that."

"Well, I'm not so sure anymore." Her father's face hardens, serious for a second.

"Nao, you are smarter than your mother and me combined. But you are lazy." Well, yeah. "And that's not your fault. I take full responsibility for that." Okay. "However, no one can manipulate people the way you do."

It's her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"I don't manipulate people." No, not really – at least not that she knows of.

"Really? No one can be this passive and this smart without some degree of manipulation, dear daughter. You always have someone else do the things you don't want to do and the worst is that they don't even realize it."

Nao blinks.

"You're making me sound like a horrible person." He smiles then and she can see the lines on his forehead.

"No, I'm actually quite proud." Nao snorts, of course. "Sweetheart, you have an advantage. People don't see you coming. If you decided to take over the world I'd be shaking in my shoes and they are very expensive ones." She rolls her eyes.

"So, I'm not a pawn?" She sure feels like it.

"What I'm saying is, that people might believe you're a pawn. But sometimes, if the pawn is smart enough and placed just at the right angle on the board, it can sneak up and take the king." Nao falls back on her bed, blinking at the ceiling.

"But that sounds complicated." And she grimaces then, thinking of what I would take to not only manipulate Kira and not die, but to also one up the greatest detective in the world.

"No, that sounds like work. Which means you'd actually have to do something for once." That's just the thing, she's starting to wonder if it just wouldn't be easier to let Kira off her.

"You are the weirdest father ever, you know?" He smiles then, rising up from the chair.

"You obviously never met your grandfather. Now get up and take a shower. Your mother's making dinner and I expect you to be there, yeah?" She groans.

"Dad, if I die…" He stops dead in his track.

"I'll scorch the earth until there's nothing left." And then he smiles again. "Dinner, forty minutes."

At some point, she crawls out of her bed and drags her feet all the way to the bathroom. While waiting for the water to heat up, she lets a laugh escape her throat. This whole situation is so ridiculous. Even if she decides to do something – how can she possibly beat Kira if L can't?

The man is obviously in over his head if he needs her to solve a case.

But if she does solve the case, if Kira is put away – then she can go back to her life as if nothing happened and pretend that she'd never been part of this. She does not care how many people Kira kills, just as long as it isn't her.

Survival instinct is a bitch.

.

.

"Nee-chan!" Sayu runs into Nao's arm, obviously quite happy to see her. God, she loves that child. The twenty-year-old allows herself to be pulled into the Yagami household, Sayu gushing happily.

"Nao-chan. It's so nice to see you." And she also loves that woman. Sachiko is obviously very happy to see her and has that smile that only a mother can have.

"It's nice to see you too." The woman pulls her into a hug, but not too long because Sayu grabs her hand and pulls her into the living room. Nao wonders how someone can have this much energy.

"You're just in time for the show. Ryuga Hideki is about to confess his love – oh, he's so dreamy." You know, Nao really hates that name. But she smiles at Sayu nonetheless.

"Maybe later? I actually came to see your brother." Sayu blinks at her, curious for a second. And then she smiles, that knowing smile of hers.

"Ne, are you and Nii-chan dating? He can't stop talking about you lately." That's just – no. You know, she used to think that she could be interested in Light Yagami, but that was before the whole Kira thing. "Just so you know, I approve. If you two get married than we'll really be sisters."

Yeah, she's not getting married any time soon, especially not to Light.

"We'll see. I just came to talk to him."

"Ah well, he's in his room." Sayu disappears then, quicker than she pulled her into the house, probably to tell her brother that she's here.

"How are you feeling, Nao-chan? Your mother said you were ill." More like on the verge of a mental breakdown. But no one needs to know that. Whatever her father had drilled into her head had worked.

"I'm fine, Oka-san. My mother overreacts too much." No, her mother had been justifiably worried, but that's a secret.

Whatever moment between her and the matron of the Yagami household is cut short when Sayu reappears with a bounce – she's not alone. Light sends her a curious look, pleasantly surprised to see her.

"Nao-chan?" For once in her life, Nao really sees it. The innocent twitch in his eyes that isn't at all innocent, the way his lips curl into a slow smile that oh so fake. How can she have missed it? How could she have been so blind?

"Light." She smiles then, completely pushing away those thoughts. "Can I have a second of your time? I know it's late…" It's barely none o'clock.

"Of course. Mom, we'll be in my room." The woman smiles and Sayu has that grin on her face. It sucks, it really does, that they have hope for this to work. A perfect picture shattered.

She's been in Light's room before and not much has changed since they were younger. It's tidy and he offers her the chair while he sits on the edge of the bed. If this gets her killed, she swears she'll find a way to come back and haunt him.

"I don't know how to say this." He looks at her then, cocking his head to the side. Of course, this could look like a love confession.

"You can tell me anything?" Yeah, that's the problem, isn't it? He's too beautiful, too understanding and too perfect. He can make people feel at ease. Nao understands that she's just one of the many victims of his charms.

"Uh, well you know your friend Ryuga?" He nods. "He came to tell me something a few days ago." His face hardens. "He told me that he was detective L and that he was here to investigate Kira – and that you were a suspect…" Silence, she breathes.

"Nao-chan." She shakes her head.

"I believe that he is L, but I don't believe you are Kira. You can't be." No, that's not true. It makes sense. "I told him that you were the nicest person on earth and that you couldn't possibly be related to any murder." Yeah, she hadn't said any of that. "I also told him to look for another suspect, because he was obviously mistaken."

"You really believe that?" His eyes – his eyes glow in the pale light from his lamp.

"Light, I know you couldn't possibly be responsible for any of that." Lies, she spouts off lies. This is her life now. "I used to babysit you – I know you." She doesn't know anything. "Ryuga or L or whatever he wants to be called is obviously trying to find someone to pin the murders on and found a scapegoat."

"He told me he was L during the entrance ceremony. He said there was a chance I was Kira." He plays that part so well, with just the right amount of outrage and disbelief and sadness. "Nao-chan, I'm sorry you were dragged in this." He reaches for her hand then, soft and cool.

She's also sorry she's been dragged into this. God, she misses her pillow fortress.

"Will you… Will you help me prove to L that I'm not Kira, Nao-chan?" He's trying to dig his claws into her, to make her think that he is not in fact controlling her. It's so sweet and gentle, for a second Nao allows herself to believe that it's all a dream.

"Of course, Light. You're like my second family…" She never does get to finish that thought, his hand pulling her into him and then his lips soft onto hers.

When she gets home that night, she throws up everything she ate in the last year. Her father appears at some point to hold her hair and massages her scalp.

"I hate this." She says, short of breath. And then throws up again. She's better than this, she's passive and cool and smart –

"That's what happens when you start to be involved in your world, sweetheart." She really wants to tell him that he's the worst father ever, but her mouth is busy.

* * *

 **a/n: Well, look who decided to grow a back bone. Now, some of you may be thinking - what the hell? But you should know that Nao has never been that passive, just an uncaring human being that has never been faced with a dilemma in her life. And now that her life is at stakes, it's only normal that she starts to feel the world around her. She's is not on Light's side and she realizes that L has manipulated her and would not care if she died and anyone would be pissed.**

 **Anyways, thank you all for your reviews. They're very enjoyable to read, especially the detailed ones. I like to know what you think. This story is coming along nicely! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**


	5. V

**This is her life now - police officers and mass murderers and detectives who like chess metaphors.**

 **Enfer**

 **V**

| I believe I am in Hell, therefore I am |

.

.

Nao's back to school on Monday. She hands in her assignment, waves off people's worries with a smile and pretends that her life isn't hanging in the balance, that it doesn't depend on whether some mass murderer decides to kill her.

It really shouldn't be this easy – but if she can reject Kira and still walk around the next day, then maybe it is. One has to be gentle when letting down someone as unstable as a serial killer. Nao never had to weight her words before, but she pats Light on the head and tells him things she doesn't mean like 'you're like the brother I never had' and 'we're too different, so it wouldn't work'. He seems to buy the excuses and she still promises to do everything she can to prove he's not Kira.

Her father leaves again for a contract and her mother moves carefully around her – mental breakdowns aside, life returns to the way it should be. Until Monday, as she exists her Application of Quantum Chem. Class and sees that she has a visitor.

One last obstacle, one she expects. It's not like Nao thinks she can avoid the great detective L forever, but almost four days of peace has allowed to piece her mind back, to return it to the state of passiveness that it always is in. If she can deal with Kira, then she can deal with a narcissistic detective who likes to see her as pawn.

"Nao-san." He greets her as she makes her way towards him. He looks the same as always, black eyes and thumb trailing on his lips, head tilted to the side and dressed in his white shirt and loose fitted jeans.

April blurs into May, the sun shines a little brighter, the weather becomes warmer, people trade jeans and long sleeved shirts for khakis and t-shirts, boots become shoes and sandals – the world doesn't stop turning.

"Senpai." She nods her head towards the man, her hand tightening on the strap of her backpack. The world keeps on turning and Nao deals with mass murderers and detectives. It's an odd world she lives in. His eyes pause on her, study her and for once she realizes that he sees something and whatever it is has put her into this mess.

She feels like a variable in an equation – she is there because of a particular problem where the formula the never changes, just the data. There are two constants, one is L and one is Kira. Finally, the man breathes out.

"Lunch?" And because she really cannot escape the problem and has already made her move, she has no other choice.

"Sure." At least, he still plans on buying her food. She can count on some things never changing.

.

.

It's not a café this time. No, it's a bistro with a very European décor and where most of the menu is scribbled out in English to make it seem cooler than it really is. The waiter sends them a look – without Light between them, it almost looks like a date.

"There's a second Kira." The man says, when the waiter has left with their order. Yeah, she's not dealing with that Kira, one is enough. "He or she is trying to contact the first."

"Seems like you've been busy." She adds flatly to the revelation. There's an unamused smile on his lips as the waiter places their coffees on the table. Nao smiles a little too brightly at him and he blushes when she says thank you.

"This one can kill with only a face." Really? Then again, that doesn't concern her. Kira already has her name and her face, so he could push the button at any time and end her. But he hasn't done that, even when she rejected his advances. For the time being, she is safe. But she can see why that would bother the detective – he is on Kira's hit list.

"That's nice." She deadpans, reaching for the sugar. She likes the fact that it's in a dispenser and not in those packets. She turns the bottle upside down, watching the white grains drop into her cup.

"I suppose Nao-san's sudden illness was because of the revelation I made to her last time we spoke." Illness? Well, she did throw up for hours – but it's not because of him. No, what really got to her is her own blindness, the fact that a serial killer could kiss her so softly and gently.

"I hate chess." A pause, his expression changes from serious to curious. "People who move pawns around, not caring if they are sacrificed, only to get to the king." There's a blink.

"I see." And then; "They are some pieces that are more valuable than others. For example, the queen can move around as she pleases, can eliminate the biggest threats." Nao nods.

"And yet her goal is still to protect the king because without him she has no value. She is very powerful and yet she remains a pawn." His thumb trails over his thin lips as he regards her with an interested expression.

"Yes, that is true. But surely, winning the game makes up for the few that were sacrificed. Especially if the one moving the pieces can do it quickly." And then, a slow smile spreads on his lips. "I am very skilled at chess, Nao-san. I understand the urgency of the situation." He looks at her. "And I would protect the queen as long as she protects me – if she chose my side, if she allowed me to place her where I want her to be, then I see no reasons that anything could harm her."

The waiter comes with their order, looks a bit put out at both of their expressions. Nao's face feels tense and the detective looks at her as if he is expecting a reply. She's in no hurry to give him one.

"Usually, the people who I work with do it out of a sense of right and wrong, to see criminals put to justice." She stabs a fork into her plate. "But I already knew the queen would not care unless I made her care, would not realize how valuable she is until both kings were fighting for her."

"Why would Kira and L waste time with a simple girl when there's a war to be fought?" She doesn't see it, doesn't see why both of them would fight for her.

"Do you believe in coincidences, Nao-san?" She shrugs her shoulders. "At first, I did not understand why you, out of everyone in Toho, picked up my cellphone. And yet here we are. Somehow, I find myself with the most powerful piece of all, the queen who can move as she pleases between both camps without arousing suspicion. It would be stupid of me not to use it – and I am not a stupid man." Then he smiles.

"The queen is smart, Nao-san, too smart not to realize that she is being used. But the person who she allows to use her is perhaps the most powerful in the game." She blinks.

"Are you asking me to be your queen, Senpai?"

"Aren't you already, Nao-san?" And at that moment she hopes someone out there will allow her to come back and haunt his ass if she dies. While Light tries to dig his claws into her, this man already has. From the beginning, without her even realizing it, he placed her there – manipulated her carefully to the point where, even if she realized it, it would be too late.

"You know, I'm starting to see why Kira wants to kill you." And you know what he does?

He smiles.

"I think it's time you met the task force, Nao-san. You'll be spending a lot of time with them." Yep, definitely – she can understand why Light wants his head on a silver platter, served to him with his feast.

.

.

Watari smiles at her. Nao doesn't know her grandparents. Her mother hasn't talked to hers for years – they had some falling out before she was born. And both her father's parents were dead.

"It's nice to meet the face behind the voice. Thank you for returning the cellphone, Miss." She manages not to tell him that she regrets ever picking up that cellphone, that she wishes she'd followed her first idea. "I hear you're a chemist?"

She nods.

"You know, I did quite a lot of experiments in my days." He laughs then. It's a deep rumble that comes straight from the stomach. "Ah, to be young again." She can't help it, she smiles. The detective watches the exchange in silence. When the car came to pick them up, she refused to sit in the back with him. Instead, she finds herself next to Watari who asks her about her studies.

She has a feeling that it's what a grandfather would do. Nao can't quite figure out how such a nice old man ended up being the chauffer of the world's greatest manipulator.

"I actually haven't thought about it." She says, when the older man asks her about her branch of choice. "I still have time to choose – at least I will, If Kira doesn't decide to give me a heart attack." From the mirror, she can see L is smiling at her.

"I should probably warn Nao-san that Light Yagami is the newest member of the Task Force. That's not a problem, is it?" And then, his thumb trails over his lips. "After all, the queen seems to like the other king." Watari sends him a look and then turns his head to the side to stare at her.

"Don't make the queen give you the middle finger, because she will." Is that what her life is now? Mass murderers and detectives and Task Forces and chess metaphors? It seems just like yesterday she was just a chemistry student with a passive persona. God, she really misses her pillow fortress, stupid cellphones.

"It seems I have missed quite a bit, yes?" She straightens into her seat and L does not answer. Watari gives them both a knowing smile and goes back to his driving.

All three of them remain silent until the car stops. Nao's pretty sure the underground parking is only expensive cars. The name plastered across the walls makes her tilt her head – a hotel? L stands next to her and nods.

"For the time being, the Kira Task Force meets in a hotel. They have comfortable chairs." You know what? She doesn't even question the fact that grown police men meet in a hotel.

The elevator ride is weird. She is sandwiched between the world's greatest detective and an old man who smiles at her, eyes trailing back between her and the raven-haired man and she can see the gears turning in his head. He shouldn't bother trying to understand it – because she sure as hell doesn't.

"Everyone." The man says, as they finally enter a room. "This is Deushi Nao, she'll be working with us from now on." She crosses her arms over her chess, watches as five pair of eyes land on her. Before anyone can react, Soichiro Yagami steps up.

"Nao-chan, what are you doing here?" He looks a lot older than she remembers. Of course, she knows the patron of the Yagami household. Just like her father, he's work orientated and one of the reasons she ends up babysitting Sayu.

"Well…" She trails off, taking a step towards him. "I just thought, my everyday life is so boring, why not go help solve the biggest crime case in the world and potentially get myself killed while doing it!" She sends a pointed look towards L who just shrugs his shoulders.

It's obviously not the answer anyone wants to hear. But Light steps up and smiles.

"Nao-chan wants to help find Kira so Ryuzaki stops suspecting me, dad." He sends a smile towards her and Nao smiles back – completely forgetting for a moment that this is the biggest mass murderer the world has even encountered. This is her life now; mass murderers that are just too cute to be suspected.

"Is this true?" Nao nods her head even if her brain screams no. What she wants is to go back to her boring life where nothing exciting happens. But she doesn't care if they think she wants to help Light, it's actually better this way.

"Yes, Otou-san. I can't believe anyone would suspect Light of murder and I want to help him clear his name." She pats herself on the back for that perfect performance and the smile Light sends her makes her even prouder of it.

She never turns around to see L's reaction.

"Another one? Really, Ryuzaki – where do you find these kids, kindergarten?" It's a man that speaks, with a dark afro. He doesn't even look at her and he looks ready to throw something, anything really.

"I'm Matsuda Touta, it's nice to meet you." He looks too cheerful to be a police officer and young, he's young.

"Don't go telling your name to people, that could get you killed." A dark broad man says to the cheerful one, with a hand on his face.

"Nao-chan, does your father know about this?" Like her father would believe her. If she said 'hey, dad, I just joined a police investigation about Kira, tell mom I won't be home for supper' he'd probably say that she has a nice imagination.

"I assure you, Nao-san is perfectly qualified for the job." L – she rolls her eyes.

"Nao-chan, would you like some coffee?" It's so sad that the only one she likes here is the actual killer.

This is her life now, a circus made up of police officers, mass murderers and detectives who see something in her, in expensive hotel rooms. God, she really needs a drink.

* * *

 **a/n: I think next chapter, I'm going to give Nao her drink - she deserves it. You should probably get ready for chess metaphors, cuz I plan to write many, many more. How'd you like this chapter? And to answer your questions no, Nao won't be dating Light. Even before the whole Kira thing, she saw him more as a little brother. Anyways, thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed. I love and appreciate all of your feedback!**


	6. VI

**Let's try to create a bond, it's eighty-three percent accurate.**

 **Enfer**

 **VI**

| I don't like to commit myself about Heaven and Hell, you see, I have friends in both places |

.

.

The third week of May reaches its end. People in the Task Force are tense, especially since they received that mysterious diary from the Second Kira. Four men are gathered in the living room of some hotel room, trying to piece things that they aren't even supposed to understand.

And then there's this.

"Ha, Gin! I win, old man. Pay up." Watari smiles at her, sliding a lollipop on the table. Nao smiles, the red of the deck of cards glowing in the dying afternoon sun. "It's your turn to shuffle." She unwraps the treat and shoves it in her mouth – the sugar is rich and it melts in her mouth.

"Why are you here again?" Nao looks up with a blank face to stare at Aizawa. That man is just itching to use his gun on anything, Nao's figured as much. His dark eyes meet hers with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.

"Ask him." Nao says with a shrug, pointing to the detective currently hunched over a stack of papers in the armchair that overlooks the room. Aizawa turns his death glare away from her and onto the dark haired twenty-four-year-old.

"Why is she here, Ryuzaki?" The detective doesn't even bother to look up from his files.

"Nao-san is very valuable to the Task Force, Aizawa. She is also here to provide insight on things that would escape us." The man with the afro sends him a look that clearly says 'prove it'. "Nao-san, what do you think is the profile for the Second Kira?"

Nao looks up from her cards and her brows furrow for a minute.

"Well, someone young, between eighteen and twenty-five. That person most like feels as if they have been wronged by the judicial system, that it failed them. Either they have been the victim of some criminal act or someone they love was a victim, and the person responsible was never properly punished." She peeks at the cards for a second. "Kira probably offed said criminal in one of his killing frenzies and now that this person feels justice has been served, their life purpose has become to find Kira and help him in his quest to rid the world of bad people."

She's fully aware that every eye in the room is on her. She rearranges her cards.

"But obviously…" She adds. "The Second Kira feels as if they have something that the first Kira needs, which is linked to the fact that they only need a face to kill. It could very problematic, especially for detectives who like to remain nameless in expensive hotel rooms." Her hand hovers over the stock pile.

There is silence.

And then, even if she hasn't won this game yet, Watari slides another lollipop towards her. It's not like she's going to refuse. It's not those cheap candies you find at the grocery store. No, it's handmade, just like the ones her father brings her back from his many business trips.

When she finally looks up, stuffing the second lollipop in her mouth with the first, Aizawa's jaw is slack. Soichiro Yagami looks like she just proclaimed she was Santa Claus, a mix of serious and awe and bewilderment. Matsuda's mouth is actually on the floor; she can see drool on the carpet.

L looks like a smug bastard, hunched in his chair.

"You see, this is one of the many reasons Nao-san is on this case." And then, he looks up from his paper. "Although I wish Watari would stop feeding her my candy." Like that will ever happen.

"He just likes me better." She pulls her tongue at him, holding a lollipop in each of her hand. It's red from the candy. At least it's not the finger, he should be grateful.

"Now, now." The man says, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I like you both equally. Ryuzaki, you already have yours, I bought those especially for Nao." She winks at the old man who chuckles.

"I won't lie, I feel a little betrayed right now." Nao rolls her eyes.

"The king should stop whining and eat his very expensive cheesecake before I decide that I want his piece." She shoves the lollipops back into her mouth and goes back to her cards. "It's your turn, Ojii-san." But it comes out distorted.

The three other men stare at the exchange with what can only be described as morbid curiosity. They have badges and degrees and yet somehow this twenty-year-old seems more adept at profiling than them.

Light chooses that particular moment to enter the hotel room slash headquarter and stands in the doorway for a second, taking in the three stunned men, the hunched over detective, the only girl in the room with two lollipops in her mouth and the old man who shuffles his cards.

"Did I miss something important?" Nao smiles.

"Light, come play Gin with us." There, she is not the only one with a freaky life.

.

.

While Light and Matsuda have their little day out in Ayoma and Soichiro and Aizawa spend some time with their families (she pictures mama Yagami happy to have her husband home if only for a day) she somehow has to babysit the great detective L because Watari has some out of the country business to attend to (the old man had smiled and asked if she could watch out for him and it's not like she had anything better to do).

She's already on a first name basis with the three receptionists of the hotel. It's sad that she spends so much time here. Her mother thinks she has a boyfriend and that… that's just wrong.

So, it's her and her chemistry books and L and his paperwork, in a fancy hotel room for the whole day. Well, at least until three o'clock, when he looks up from whatever he is doing and starts staring at her.

"Nao-san and I are friends." She blinks. "And as I understand, friends spend time with each other. Like this?" This is a very weird conversation, very, very weird.

"Sure." Although it doesn't usually involve case files. But it's not like she minds, she has an exam soon and the hotel room is quiet enough that she can study.

"Would Nao-san like to do something else? I understand she is very fond of the card games she plays with Watari." It's not that she's fond of card games, it's just that it's something to do. And Watari always give her candy when she wins.

"We don't have to play cards, Senpai." She shrugs her shoulders. "I think friends don't care what they do with each other as long as they are together." When she does see her friends, they mostly catch up since they don't see each other often.

"Curious – is that what they call bonding?" She nods. "Watari told me that I should get to know Nao-san, on a more person level." Why is she not surprised? "I merely suggested cards because it's one of the things I know she enjoys, like chemistry."

"What would you like to do?" Because he really doesn't have to know her on a personal level. This is just another proof that her life is really weird; her in a hotel room with a detective that talks about bonding with her.

"I know Nao-san's personality to be very passive, to the point where she just goes through the motions. If I were to suggest something, she would never tell me that she does not enjoy it." Well, he's not wrong.

"You want to do something… that I want to do?" He nods.

"Yes, I believe it would help us create a bond." And the real question is…

"Why do you want to form a bond with me?" It seems strange, yeah? "I mean, I'm already here…"

"Watari told me it was nice, to see me making friends – ones that are not plotting my demise in secret." She snorts. If her relationship with L is weird, then his with Light is even weirder. She's never seen two people so passively aggressively nice with each other. "He informed me that I should make an effort to preserve my relationship with her."

"So, you want to be friends with me because Watari told you to?" She's not even surprised.

"Watari never tells me what to do. He gives opinions and I decide whether or not to consider them." Yep, that definitely sounds like the narcissistic detective she knows. "And while Nao-san has no interest in cases, even with the potential she displays when faced with them, the percentage that we could get along as friend is still very high – almost eighty-three percent."

She blinks; that was a very long sentence.

"Simply put; Nao-san and I are very compatible. As such, we should make an effort to create a bond." That's probably the oddest way anyone has ever asked her to be their friends. "Of course, if Nao-san does not want to be my friend, then we shall never speak of it again and return to the way we were before."

He stares at her and for a minute, she considers pretending like this conversation never happened.

"Pizza." She says then, randomly. He blinks at her, like he always does these days. "We should order a pizza. And maybe watch a movie, that's what I usually do on Saturday nights."

"That's what Nao-san wants to do?" She nods.

"Yes, it is." He nods his head back at her.

She thinks that at least, with a movie, he won't stare at her as much. He does anyways, large black eyes gauging out every reaction she has. When Matsuda and Light come back that night to report that the Second Kira didn't show, Nao offers them leftover pizza and fizzy drinks.

.

.

Nao understands the dynamics of the people who make up the Task Force. There's Soichiro Yagami, who is the definition of a father figure, especially to Matsuda (and to Light, but he's his actual father, so that doesn't count). Matsuda is the newbie, the one who is sent to get coffee. Aizawa is frustrated. Mogi barely comes around, but when he does he's pleasant enough.

There's Light who smiles at her and always makes small talk, always with his eyes on L. Said detective, always makes jabs at Light and tries to get him away from her (not that she minds, Light is Kira, so you know). Watari sort of comes and goes, sometimes he plays cards with her, sometimes he gives her cake, sometimes he asks if she needs help with her studying because he happens to be quite good at chemistry.

And then there's her.

Her afternoons become meetings with the Task Force in expensive hotel rooms, except on Wednesdays. L doesn't ask much of her in terms of work – it's not like he's paying her. But she answers when he asks questions and his questions can range from what she would like to eat that night to what do you think about that video the Second Kira aired about finding the first Kira.

"Does Light-kun have a girlfriend?" See, he asks questions. She's in the middle of writing down the answer to an equation, seated at the same table in the corner where she always is. Light isn't there today, he has classes.

"Well, he introduced a girl to me today – her name is Takada." Yep, Miss Toho herself. Nao thinks it's good that way, it means that Light won't try to recruit her to join the dark side anymore.

"Describe her to me, Nao-san." Uh, what the hell?

"Well, black hair cut short. Taller than me. Very pretty – people call her Miss Toho. She's very popular." Not that she pays attention to gossip. But her classmates are almost all boys and they talk. She just has ears.

"He introduced you?" She nods. "And how did she act around you?" Her eyes raise to the ceiling as she tries to recall the encounter. It barely lasted a minute and she's pretty Light had purposely searched for her so he could introduce them.

If this is his way to try and make her jealous, he really doesn't understand her.

"Well, she didn't look too happy to see me. Well, at first." She pauses. "And then Light mentioned my father and suddenly she seemed perfectly okay with me being there." Kiyomi Takada is a stuck-up bitch.

"Your father?" Matsuda says, like he really has no idea.

"Nao-san's father is a very popular architect. He has designed many hotels, in many different countries. I'm quite a fan on his work." Well, Nao supposes he would, since he happens to live in hotels.

"Not just hotels." She adds with a smile. "He also designs buildings, like those in downtown Tokyo. He also made the plans for our house." There's a reason Nao loves her house so much.

"Nao-san does have a nice house." Matsuda mutters a 'wow' under her breath. Aizawa just sends her a look that is mildly impressed and Soichiro already knows all of that, so there is no reaction. "But, Takada?"

"Her and Light make sense." A lot more than her. "I don't think she's the one you're looking for." He nods his head and all three other occupants send them a look, obviously not quite sure about what they are talking about.

L doesn't have to tell her. The Second Kira contacted the first. Anyone new in Light's life is a suspect. The detective doesn't leave the room as much and she barely sees him around the school anymore. If the Second Kira can kill with only a face, she understands his hesitation to be outside.

If she didn't know better, she'd probably think the detective is stressed out. Paranoia is justified when there is someone out there to get you. She thinks she almost feels bad for him.

Almost – at least, until a couple of days later, when she finally meets Misa Amane.

And when Nao says meet, she actually means that she finds the Task Force in front of a screen that shows Misa Amane bound and blind, standing in what looks to be the most uncomfortable position in the world.

"We do that now?" That's the only thing that comes to mind, her eyes trailing on the picture of the blonde girl who looks inhuman displayed this way. Is that what L does to people he can't manipulate?

"Misa Amane has been arrested on suspicion of being the Second Kira." And from the looks of it, she and Light were the only one not in the know. Is this what the Task Force does when she's not around – kidnap wannabe models and tie them up to stare at?

"I may be Kira." The world slows for a second, L's toes curling and uncurling, his fingers on his cup of tea as he stares at Light and then at her. Soichiro is outraged, desperate. Aizawa tries to come up with a reasonable answer. Matsuda looks about to pass out. And Nao?

She doesn't buy it, doesn't buy the despair and agony on Light's face. She doesn't buy the way he seems like he's given up, like he knows he might be doing something horrible. And yet, the words that come out of her mouth;

"You know you're not Kira, Light, stop saying that. Do you really want to be placed under confinement?" Solemn, he looks solemn, but she can see underneath it she's caught him by surprise, that he didn't expect her to speak up.

"If it's what it takes to finally clear my name, I'll do it." And then, he pauses to really look at her with a small smile. "Nao-chan has so much faith in me, I want to prove to her that I'm worth it." She never pictured herself as an actress, maybe she should. "And for Otou-san. Let me do this." That last part is directed towards L.

L looks at her then and she can only stare back.

* * *

 **a/n : I hope I kept L as much in character as he should have been. I wasn't sure about that whole bonding part, so I hope I made it convincing enough. Thank you all for the feedback and I know how much people enjoy the fast updates. To be honest, this story pretty much writes itself. I hope you enjoyed, drop a review to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.**


	7. VII

**Handcuffs are not the only way to tie up someone. She knows that now.**

 **Enfer**

| If you are going through hell, keep going. |

 **VII**

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Nao doesn't dwell on emotions, to the point where people think she doesn't, you know, feel. She can't exactly recall when it all started, but before anyone could stop it she'd turned into this calm, annoyingly passive person who would let the world burn and just sit back and watch.

She can understand why her mother is worried at first. Nao isn't always lazy, not when it matters. She understands that she needs those good grades and that nice, elite university and a future job that she'll enjoy enough – hence the chemistry. Truth is, for the first few years, Nao's mother thinks she's a psychopath.

Her father merely raises an eyebrow and answers easily 'you do realize that she'd actually have to make an effort to kill someone and just for that she'll avoid it'. After that, her mother eases around her and manages to somehow form a bond with her passive daughter. Nao loves her parents, when she reminds herself to. She's not the type of person to sit and think for hours on love and the different ways it comes in and what it means, but she can feel it.

So, she's not a psychopath, she's not even disconnected from the world because she can understand it. She can laugh at jokes and actually find them funny. She can appreciate the company of a few selected people. She can even be angry. It just doesn't happen very often.

She is human. She is very, very human – at times and when it's convenient – but she is. Bare that in mind, you'll need it.

"Nao-chan, it's so nice to spend time together, just us girls." Misa Amane, Japanese model extraordinaire gushes, fussing to fill her glass yet again. Nao doesn't wonder where the blonde has managed to find alcohol, better yet champagne. She doesn't wonder about it during the first glass and she's certainly not thinking about it now that she's had five in less than an hour.

She kind of needed that. From Great Detectives crashing her peace of mind, to Kira being Light and then Light not being Kira, to the Second Kira tied up and blinded in what looked to be a room fitted for someone with very weird fetishes, to actually finishing her exams – a drink is a freaking godsend (even if the person pouring the drinks is still suspected of aiding a mass murderer, but details).

"Sure, Misa-chan." Nao's just glad not to have to look at the dreaded handcuffs right now. It takes fifty-three days, fifty-three, for L to release Light Yagami and Misa Amane. Then he goes and handcuffs himself to the eighteen years old.

Nao doesn't quite follow that logic because Light isn't Kira – not anymore. She can't quite explain it, but she looks away one moment and then Kira is gone, vanished. Light's features become vexed and determined, outraged at being accused of murder and genuinely ready to prove his innocence. He reminds her of the little kid who followed her around the Yagami household with Sayu trying to convince her they should have pancakes for supper.

After that, there's not much that happens. A performance is staged, although nothing comes out of it. Kira still kills criminals, the Task Force is moved to private headquarters, the building suspiciously resembling something her father would design, L is handcuffed to Light and Misa Amane has proclaimed herself to be her best friend.

It's the beginning of August and Nao thinks it's damn good that school is out for a month. Her parents are off to some tropical location for their wedding anniversary which means she doesn't have to come up with an excuse as to why she leaves the house every morning and only returns at night. Not that her parents would ask for one, but just in case.

"Oh, Nao-chan. Let me do your hair!" Nao doesn't mind Misa Amane. Sure, on the surface, she's just a ditzy blonde that is loud and extremely girly – but dig deep enough and she's actually not that bad. "I'll curl them." And the blonde is off, probably searching for a curling iron somewhere in her luxurious suite. She stumbles a bit because of the drinks she's had and Nao watches with blank eyes as the model disappears from her sight.

Did she forget to mention that every day she is here she has to sit through the weirdest events ever, something Misa Amane calls a date, with Light handcuffed to the detective?

She finishes the content of her glass, bubbles sparkling in her mouth. Well – now you know.

.

.

Nao is not the loud, exuberant type of drunk. To be honest, she remains exactly the same – it's just that her mind can't quite focus on more than one thing.

As it is, while people's voice drone out in the background, her attention is on the magazine in her hands. She's currently reading an article about liquid nitrogen and how one should eat it. Not that she understands why anyone would want to eat liquid nitrogen, but it's still mildly interesting.

"Nao-chan!" Her head snaps up, her eyes blinking at the way Misa has just screamed her name. For a second, she takes in the scene in front of her; the blonde sitting next to her on the couch looking exasperated, Light with his arms thrown over his head and looking bored and L with his fork stabbed in a piece of cake, eyes on her.

"Yes?" To be honest, she has no idea what they were talking about, just that they were having a conversation. Nao's pretty sure it wasn't anything deep or philosophical.

"Nao-san is distracted." Light sends her a look can only be interpreted as sympathy, while black eyes study her intently. Not distracted per se. But she really doesn't care about the topic of the previous conversation.

"What did I miss?" Misa huffs, crosses her arms over her chest. Light smiles at her.

"Misa is trying to convince Ryuzaki that this isn't a date because he is here." See? She didn't miss anything important. Misa is always trying to get Light alone – always. Not that Light seems to mind being tied to the detective and not spending time with his beloved girlfriend.

"I was just explaining to Misa-chan that even if I untied Light-kun, I would still be monitoring them with the cameras." She can't remember if her friends ever acted this way. Probably not, her friends aren't detectives and murder suspects.

"Uh-uh." She doesn't really know what else to say.

"Nao-chan!" Misa whines. "Misa-Misa wants some alone time with her Light, please convince him." Ah, so that's what this is about. She closes the magazine and straightens in her seat, the movement a bit slower than usual.

"Senpai, let them have their alone time." The detective pauses, raising an eyebrow at her. She matches it. "The only reason Misa and Light could want to be alone is to have sex." She tries to remember her biology courses. "Sex is a perfectly normal human activity. It creates endorphins, which are known to have many beneficial properties like relieving stress. Given the recent turn of events, I'm sure it would be helpful for them."

Silence. There is silence, all around her. And then Misa claps her hands and there isn't silence anymore.

"Nao-chan!" Misa literally jumps on her, eyes wide and happy. "You understand!" Sure, she understands. She also understands that everyone here needs a valium and a scotch. But sex can be an alternative.

She pats the other girl's back like one would a child.

"I did not know that Misa-chan and Nao-san were such good friends." Misa finally moves away from her, settling back in her own seat, her legs dangling from the couch like a kid.

"We're best friends!" Yeah, sure. She's not about to protest or agree. If Misa Amane wants to believe that she is her best friend, then she certainly can. If the girl ever turns out to be the Second Kira, then Nao will be safe from heart attacks.

L's eyes are on her, only slightly amused. Light still looks bored to death and she can't really blame him, but he does flash her that pretty boy smile of his. Misa looks happy. Nao eyes her magazine on the table.

"So, Misa-Misa can spend time alone with Light. Nao-chan agrees." How did she become the only person with a modicum of logic around? She'll never quite know.

.

.

"Here, Nao." Watari places the plate in front of her and she smiles gratefully. God, that chicken looks so good and fried to perfection. She doesn't quite realize she's starving until the man points out that one needs sustenance after that much alcohol consumed.

"Thanks, Ojii-san." Nao likes the kitchen here. Not as much as the one in her house, but it's still a nice kitchen where everything you want can be found – and cake, there's always cake. And while Nao does appreciate sweets, she also likes the saltiness of chicken and the huge salad that comes with it. Watari is a man of many talents.

The detective strolls inside the room as she stabs yet another forkful in her mouth. Both her and Watari look up and the man smiles. In seconds, there's a piece of cake in the seat next to hers and the old man says something about checking the surveillance cameras. What Nao notices is that there is no Light and no handcuffs.

"It was quite the performance you gave earlier, Nao-san." He looks rather miffed. "I could not find a reasonable way to deny Misa-chan after that and I was forced to release Light-kun for the time being."

"Good for them." He looks sour even if the cake he eats is sweet. "Don't be sad, Senpai. If anything, now that Light isn't Kira, the handcuffs are pointless."

"I call them a necessary precaution. Light Yagami is still considered a suspect." She rolls her eyes at that. "It seems that Kira is more resourceful than I expected." She is surrounded by people with the mentally of two years old.

"You do realize that even if Light is Kira, what you are doing right now is very stupid, yeah?" He raises an eyebrow. Here she is, calling the greatest detective ever stupid. "You are the Greatest Detective alive, can't you see you are being played right now?"

"How so?" He looks interested and she shrugs her shoulders.

"The more time you spend tied with Light while Kira still operates, the more you'll have to believe that he is, in fact, innocent. At some point, you'll even start doubting yourself. And because of that, Kira will strike – and you won't be the Greatest Detective alive anymore. You'll be dead." Because isn't that the whole point of this? The battle is between the mass murderer and the detective. Everyone else is a pawn.

She's never known the detective to stare at her with such a serious look before. He doesn't answer for a minute or two, gazes at the half-eaten piece of cake and then back at her. She's happy to ignore his inner turmoil and concentrate on the rest of her supper.

"Nao-san." She looks up. "I am not sorry for putting you in the middle of all this." Of course, he isn't. "If anything, now is the time I truly realize what an asset you are." She doesn't expect the praise, doesn't look for it. "My cases consume me, they always have and they always will. You have the ability to completely withdraw yourself from the situation. You can see things clearly."

This is different.

"Nao-san should know, that if I survive this, if Kira is brought to justice, I do not plan to let her go." She swallows very, very slowly.

"What does that mean?" But a part of her doesn't want to know. His words, the way he says it, the way he looks at her, as if he's found something so precious that he can't quite let go – no one has ever looks at her that way before.

"Nao-san already knows what it means. There are many ways to bound a person to one's self – I will just have to make sure that I bound Nao-san to me so that she'll never be able to leave." He says it like it's fact, like there is absolutely no way she will be able to escape him.

For once, she's pretty much rooting for Kira.

Shit.

* * *

 **a/n: I had to go and rewatch a bit of Death Note since the next part of this story won't quite follow the events. Nao finally got her drink - um, drinks - and L isn't subtle at all, not that he ever was. Like I said, this story is somewhat LxOC, but it's not like Nao or L want or even expect a happy ending. That's just not their character's personality. Anyways, thank you to everyone who takes the time to review. You guys are awesome and I'm really glad everyone enjoys Nao as much as I do. I hope you enjoyed, tell me what you think and thank you for reading.**


	8. VIII

**If someone can make a hug awkward, it's those two.**

 **Enfer**

| the real hell of life is everyone has his reasons |

 **VIII**

.

.

Everyone has their limit – pricked and pulled and thrown off and kicked around enough, pushing all the right and wrong buttons at the same time; anyone would snap, anyone would be ready to punch, to pull that trigger.

It's not that Light snaps that causes the surprised chuckles to escape her lips. It's not the fact that the detective stumbles to the ground, a bruise already forming on his pale cheek. She enjoys that part and if she wasn't so stunned, she'd probably cheer. No, what really surprises Nao is the fact that Light is the one who breaks first.

Not that she complains. Misa let's out a cry, standing up from the couch. L mumbles out something about an eye for an eye and then roadhouse kicks Light straight in the jaw. Oh, that's a nice shot, too bad she doesn't have a cam recorder.

Light doesn't even crash to the floor, fury in his face as he retaliates with a punch right between the eyes of the greatest detective the world has ever seen – she doesn't need a camera, they have surveillance tapes here. She needs to have Watari make her a copy of the fight. Nao will cherish it for years to come.

"Nao-chan." Misa, wiping the cake away from her knee-high socks with a disgusted expression on her face. "You need to do something." As if, Misa, as if. Light is basically doing what she's been fantasizing about for months now. Besides, it's nice to see him let out his anger in a healthy way. Maybe if he'd had a punching back, he wouldn't have felt the need to become Kira.

"Go, Light?" She cheers, Light flashing her a smile even in the middle of his own version of a battle royal. The detective uses this moment to strikes with his vengeful fist. Light turns back to the fight and fists his hand into L's shirt, the dark-haired youth mimicking the movement.

Even through all the commotion, the sound of the phone can still be heard. It seems to snap them out of whatever this was and L picks up the phone with his usual bored expression. Nao doesn't hear the conversation, but five seconds later he hangs up and turns to them with a roll of his eye.

"Matsuda being his usual stupid self." He says, when Light asks who it was. Nao hasn't moved from her spot on the couch and finally takes a sip of her coffee which is still slightly warm.

"Well, he is known for that." Light sends her a smile. "Thank you for cheering me on." She feels amusement bubble inside of her, especially when the detective sends an annoyed look towards her.

"Next time, hit harder." Light actually laughs at that. You know, if L wasn't feeding her all the sweets in the world, she would probably be filling her application to switch over to the Kira side – maybe she can negotiate her terms.

.

.

This is Deushi Nao, twenty years old and second year chemistry student at Toho university.

And this, this is the Great Detective L and his plan to rob her of every last shred of sanity she possesses until she decides to casually throw herself off the top of a building; part one.

Nao can see it, feel it, taste it in her mouth – the shift. It doesn't look like anyone else has noticed it, well, maybe Watari, but he doesn't say anything and somehow always has an excuse to leave the room so she ends up alone with the detective.

As it is, today, in the kitchen – Nao is hyper aware of the detective that moves in the room. Her spiral notebook is opened on the counter in front of her, her pen raised in the air. He finally reaches her, so close that she can smell his shampoo and feel the material of his shirt on her on her back.

She never expects him to take her advice. Much to Misa's pleasure, L claims that as long as Light remains in the Task Force Headquarters, he won't use the handcuffs. Good for Light, but bad for her because after that, wherever she is, the detective is somehow there. But that's not the shift, really. She's used to that, at least from him.

"NaOH?" He says from behind her, his eyes trailing on the paper over her shoulder. No, the real problem seems to be his blatant disregard for her personal space. But she doesn't tense, doesn't push him away. She will not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he can ruffle her.

"Sodium Hydroxide." He probably already knows what it means. Sodium Hydroxide, the chemical formula spelled out NaOH. She always found it funny that the most commonly used inorganic compound in chemistry is basically her name. It's mostly used to neutralize acids, but can be harmful when the concentration is high enough.

"Why is Nao-san listing the effects of Sodium Hydroxide on humans?" She doesn't even bother to turn around and pretends like he isn't actually standing behind her, so close she would know if he moved.

"I'm looking to determine to dosage that could blind someone." She feels his shirt rustle against hers, feels his arms move, probably to chew on his thumb like he always does. It's bad that she can predict his actions.

"Should I be worried that Nao-san is playing around with dangerous chemical compounds?" No, not really. If Nao wanted to kill him she would put rat poison in his cake and blame Light. "Has Nao-san finally 'snapped'?" To be honest, she probably snapped the moment he announced he was L.

"Senpai." He hums. "The Second Kira needs only a face to kill. Wouldn't you agree that is has something to do with the eyes?" But she doesn't wait for his approval, doesn't need it. "And so, if one were to, hypothetically, make that person lose their eyesight, then the Second Kira would not be an issue anymore, right?" She doesn't know how Kira kills; she doesn't want to know. But if one were to remove a crucial tool, then the whole process would be off.

"Nao-san…" There's a beat where she thinks she might have broken the detective. She almost turns around, but hands reach out to wrap themselves around her and she blinks.

"Uh, Senpai… what are you doing?" Is this some new wrestling move she isn't aware of? All she knows is that her upper arms around bound to her side and that he's applying enough pressure to keep her there.

"Isn't that how you hug someone?" No, because a hug means both parties actually agree with the embrace. But Nao doesn't say that. Instead, one of her hand awkwardly pats his.

"Sure." Watari comes in at that moment, has to pause at the scene. Nao blinks at the old man and then eyes the writing on the bags. Look – cake. It's enough to make her forget that she has another human stuck to her back.

.

.

"Capoeira?" She deadpans.

This is part two of the Great Detective L's plan to make Deushi Nao throw herself off a building. Honestly, her sanity isn't an issue anymore. That ship has sailed.

"Yes, capoeira." He bites the top of his thumb, regards her with what Nao can only describe as sick amusement. She comes into the Task Force Headquarters that afternoon only to be dragged by the detective to a 'training room' where the floor is covered by tatami mats.

"Uh, why would I need to learn a Brazilian martial art?" Nao doesn't mind sports, but she'd rather watch them then have to actually participate. She's had the mandatory PE classes and that's more than enough sport for one lifetime.

"Nao-san needs to be able to defend herself. Watari pointed that out. I volunteer to teach her." Oh, that old man – when she sees him next time. Nao's fist clench to her side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No need for that." She turns her back, ready to walk away from the sheer madness of him and everything that surrounds him. And then…

"Nao-san can benefit from learning to defend herself. More important, she can have a reasonable to 'kick my ass' as they say." When she faces him, he has that wicked grin on his face. She blinks at the thought. Nao isn't violent, she's never been, but…

But, and that's a pretty big but, she can imagine herself kicking the detective's ass and maybe, just maybe, that's enough to make her stay in this room. That is certainly an interesting bargain.

His grin widens; his eyes pitch black in the fluorescent light of the closed off room. Her brain reasons that it probably won't be that easy. She'd had a front row seat to his fight with Light and the detective can hold his on.

"Now, Nao-san – attack me." There is no visible shift in his position. His back is rounded, slouched over and with his thumb in his mouth. Not the position you'd expect from someone who's just told you to attack him. Nao's mouth opens and then closes, takes a good look at him and at what he's offering.

There's a second, just one, where she hesitates. Where a small part of her brain argues pathetically that the best course of action is to walk away from all of this and return to the main room. But there's another part, the biggest, the one who has been dealing with the obnoxious detective since day one, who screams 'SCREW THIS'.

She lunges for him, ready to tackle him to the floor. And just like she predicted, it really isn't that easy. With a annoyingly amount of ease, he sends her flying to the floor, straight on her back. She blinks at the ceiling.

"That wasn't bad, Nao-san. Again." She manages to push herself back on her legs, her back cracking in protest and she massages her left shoulder, already knowing that this is going to bruise.

The next day, when she enters the Task Force Headquarters, Matsuda let's out a yelp and drops the stack of papers he was holding. Soichiro Yagami, ever the concerned father figure, stops dead in his track. Aizawa looks mildly concerned and Light's usual smile freeze on his lips before it reaches his eyes.

"Nao-chan, you were attacked?" Her left knee is scraped, scars already visible since it started healing. There's a deep purple bruise on her right arm that starts from the elbow and disappears under the sleeve of her t-shirt. Her lip is busted from the way she fell flat on her face and she doesn't quite have a black eye, but the skin around her left one is very red.

She points at the detective who doesn't look at all bothered by her appearance.

"I've started teaching Nao-san how to defend herself." And then he pauses, ignoring the stunned glares of the rest of the Task Force members and smiling sadistically at her. "Should we take a break for today?" She shakes her head.

"I'm fine." He smiles only widens. Nao keeps her face blank, but not because of her usual passiveness. If she moves her face too much, it hurts like hell.

It takes a week before she can actually lend any sort of blow to him. But as she enters the Task Force Headquarters the next day and she sees the detective holding an icepack to his eyes, the skin around it a deep shade of blue and purple, Nao's eyelashes flutter in satisfaction.

Who needs to have sanity when you get a free pass to kick someone's ass? Light and her high five like children would and he hands her a cup of coffee.

.

.

August blurs into September and Nao is actually happy to be back at school.

Both her parents come back from their holiday – her mother with that soft smile and that blush on her cheeks and her father has that happy grin on his face that speaks volume. Nao's glad they come back when they do because most of the bruises have healed and she really doesn't want to try and explain that.

"Ojii-san." She greets easily, stepping inside the surveillance room with a pot of tea. She still stops by the Headquarters almost every day – kicking L's is very therapeutic. "I need a favor." The old man smiles, accepting the teapot and pouring both of them a hot steaming cup.

"Of course, Nao. How may I assist you?" She searches in her backpack for the piece of paper. Nao hands it to him, taking a seat on the chair next to his. He opens the note, smiles and nods his head. "How much would you like?" She shrugs her shoulders.

"A container, I guess." And with that, the old man slides the piece of paper in his pocket and asks her how school was. She smiles and tells him about her Small Molecule Crystallography class.

* * *

 **a/n: You know, I always wondered; if someone is blind, then they can't see the faces. And if Kira needs a name and a face to kill, without eyes they couldn't - right? Let's say that for the purpose of this story, that actually works, I will not pretend to be a genius when it comes to Shinigamis and their laws. If any of you have not read the LABB case, let me clarify that Naomi Misora is the one who insists that L takes up capoeira to learn how to defend himself.**

 **Now, I've read all of your precious, precious reviews and I'm glad so many of you appreciate L and Nao's relationship, but I feel I should clarify L's sudden change in behaviour. L wants to bind her to him and to do that, he is trying to break her - sadistic, I know. But since Nao is known to be passive and quite frankly numb at time, the only way L figures he can back her into a corner is to force her to 'feel' and then try to control her emotions. Of course, it backfires, because Nao's resolve to solve the Kira case only grows, wanting to be rid of the detective faster.**

 **I find that L, for all his supposed genius, is too childish at times, which is probably why he ends up killed in the first place. Anyways, enough about the serious stuff. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. YOU RULE! There, I hope you enjoyed, drop a review and thank you for reading.**


	9. IX

**Shinigamis are real, but you already knew that.**

 **Enfer**

| I have my own matches and sulphur, and I'll make my own hell |

 **IX**

.

.

"Deushi-san." Nao freezes. "Fancy meeting you here of all places." Slowly, very slowly, she turns around, blank eyes staring at the man, clad in a black suit, who's just called her out in the middle of the street.

"Higuchi-san." There are very few moments where Nao feels it; the fear. Not because of the man per se, but because it seems so unlikely that she would run into him here and now. "It's nice to see you again." And so soon – three days prior, she hadn't even known the man.

Higuchi Kyosuke, Vice President of Technology at Yotsuba, smiles at her. No, it's more like a smirk. The first time she meets him, in the middle of the Yotsuba Group's lobby, Nao finds that there is nothing pleasant about that man. Even here, in the middle of the busy Tokyo street, he seems awfully wicked.

"Did you just finish school? Hatori mentioned that you were still a student." She's on her way to the Task Force Headquarters, you know, the one where they plot to catch Kira (when L isn't bored or depressed). Not like she'll tell him that.

"Yes, I'm meeting a friend, but she's running late." The lie comes out effortlessly and Nao can almost convince herself that it's the truth, that the chill that runs down her spine is because of the cold October wind.

Perhaps she should explain how she lends herself in this situation.

It starts when Light, who is too smart for his own good, finds a pattern with recent Kira related murders (she won't point out the fact that the one most invested in this case happens to be Kira himself). Prominent Japanese businessmen have been dropping like flies, the Yotsuba Group's stock prices have risen and if someone can link Kira to that, it's definitely Light.

Finally, because that means that the detective has something else to do then finds new ways to make her crazy. To be honest, she doesn't care if Kira is a chicken right now, she'd just glad that L's attention is on someone other than her.

What Nao doesn't factor in is this – no one in the Task Force can have a plausible reason to infiltrate the Yotsuba Group. No one except her. So, her father happens to be the one who designed the building. So, he also happens to be good friends with the President of the organisation. Her father has many friends in very high places just like any other important man in this world.

But with Aizawa gone from the team and with L's restless behaviour and Light's angel-like smiles, Nao finds that saying no is just not an option. It's painfully easy for her to arrange a meeting with one of the Vice Presidents and show up in a tight pencil skirt, claiming that her friend, read here Misa Amane, is an upcoming model and that she would very much like to be the new face of the company.

And of course, Nao being the good friend that she is, with her father's ties, would try and use her influence to make it happen – it's a simple plan and it seems to work just fine because no one would suspect her of all people to be tied to the Kira catching Task Force. L seems very pleased with himself and Light tells her that he'll protect her any way he can.

"Ah. Well, if you're not doing anything right now, would you like to accompany me to lunch?" What she doesn't expect is him, Higuchi Kyosuke, Vice President of Technology Development, and the fact that she seems to have caught his attention.

She wants to say no. She wants to say that her friend will be there soon, that she can't right now. But Higuchi doesn't seem like the type of man to accept 'no' for an answer. That, plus the fact that the Yotsuba Group seems to be tied with Kira and that Nao enjoys not dying from a heart attack – she can only nod her head.

"Sure." There are very few moments where Nao's head screams danger, but this is one of them. "Let me just call my friend and say that I'll meet her later." He nods his head.

"Of course." His voice wants to be pleasant, but everything about him is forceful. Nao whips out her phone and presses the third number on speed dial.

"Ha, Misa-chan." From the other side of the line, she hears Light's voice pauses from his mid greeting. "I was just on my way to meet you, but I ran into someone from the Yotsuba Group." She fakes cheerfulness. "Yes, what a coincidence." Is it really? She doesn't think Higuchi followed her, but you never know. "Anyways, he asked me to have lunch with him, so I'll be a little late. Maybe an hour or two." She hears whispers in her ear. "Yes, I'll try to promote you. Don't worry." She fakes an eye roll, is fully aware of the eyes on her. "I'll see you later, ja." If she doesn't mysteriously die first.

"Your friend seems very enthusiastic." Higuchi says with a smirk. "You should know that we agreed to have her from an interview." She blinks as he extends his arm to her. It feels like walking around with the devil.

"Oh, I'm glad. Thank you." Maybe she should reconsider her career choice, maybe she should become an actress. Nao's never had to lie so much in her life. It seems Kira really does bring out the worst in people.

Higuchi guides her to an fancy restaurant down the street. For all her troubles, at least she gets free food. It almost makes her forget that she's dining with the devil. Oh, it's been so long since she's eaten duck.

.

.

Nao needs to stop spending so much time with mass murderers. Higuchi Kyosuke isn't so bad, not on the surface anyways. She makes it through lunch without collapsing because of a sudden heart attack.

"Nao-chan. I was worried, we all were." Light crowds her the moment she enters the Task Force Headquarters, followed closely by Matsuda and Chief Yagami. She blinks at them.

"Oh, well, I'm fine." To be honest, not much happened. As promised, Higuchi bought her lunch and asked her random questions about school and her father. Maybe that's why she's such an easy pawn, maybe it's because not much can phase her. She answers the businessman's question in her usual fashion. No one could ever suspect her.

"What happened?" She smiles at Soichiro Yagami. It's sad that he's more concerned for her than her own father. No, that's not it. Her father just knows better than to be concerned, knows her better than anyone in this world.

"I had duck – the expensive kind." Stunned eyes stare back at her. She wants to roll her eyes. Her afternoons are spent hanging around a Task Force who is operated by the narcissistic detective. It's a little late for concern. "And Higuchi-san made me promise to go out with him some other time." Not promised, but she figures the man will wrestle it out of her somehow.

"Woah, Nao-chan." Matsuda looks at her with wide eyes. "You managed to infiltrate the Yotsuba Group without arousing any suspicions. Amazing!" But wasn't that the whole point? Isn't that why she dressed in a very tight, extremely uncomfortable skirt and went straight into the lion's den?

"Well, Nao-san is very gifted." She rolls her eyes. L is sitting at his desk, looking over papers, not bothered at all than she's just spent the last two hours with one of his suspects. "I didn't expect any less from her."

"They've agreed to have an interview for Misa-chan, by the way. Her agent will get a call soon about scheduling a meeting." She looks at Matsuda who nods his head. As far as anyone is concerned, Matsuda is Misa's manager.

The shock wears off eventually. People stop crowding her and she's free to let herself drop on one of the couches, her bag dropping to the floor. She hears noises around her, shoes on linoleum floors and chairs sliding, she wonders if there's cake around somewhere, knowing Watari; there is.

"That was reckless behaviour, Nao-san." She blinks at the detective who takes the seat in the arm chair next to where she is. She rolls on her side, looks at the piece of cake he's just pushes on her side of the coffee table and the fork stabbed in it. "Perhaps, Nao-san can be a little more careful next time." She shrugs her shoulders.

"You were the one who sent me to the Yotsuba Group." So, it's really not her problem if it backfires, if the results are not what he intended. He keeps putting her in dangerous situations, what does he expect?

"Yes, for you to promote Misa Amane. Not to have lunch with the person who is most likely Kira." He nods his head, black eyes wide and almost innocent. "I cannot protect the queen if she decides to move on her own." Ah. They're back to the chess metaphors now. God, she really hates that game.

"I didn't it. The king should just accept the consequences of his actions. It's because of his move that the queen ended up where she did." Yes, because without him, she would have never found her way in the Yotsuba building, would never have been introduced to Higuchi Kyosuke, wouldn't have recognized him on the street.

Actually, when Nao analyzes the situation, she finds that it all leads back to him. She's never had any interest in the Kira case, would have been perfectly fine never thinking about it. If she'd never found that cellphone, if she'd never picked it up, if she'd just followed her first idea and left it there – none of this would have happened.

But maybe this is the universe punishing her for passive outlook on life. If she'd said no from the start, if she'd put her feet down and made herself clear… just thinking about it gives her headache. No, she's already dug her grave, now she can only lie in it and placing the blame on someone else than herself will only anger her, dull her senses.

"Nao-san?" She looks up at the detective, sits up and reaches for the fork in the piece of cake. Actions have consequences or, in her case, the lack of actions has consequences. Nao is lazy at times, passive even, some people have called her cold, her father says she can be manipulative.

And she doesn't want change, won't change, especially not because of mass murderers who can kill with a name and a face and narcissistic detectives who play her like she's just pawn. Her attitude has served her well for the last twenty years and she'll make it out of this with that same one.

"Vanilla?" She says, swallowing the first bite of cake. The detective blinks at her and then nods.

"Yes, Watari said you were fond of it." And, because Nao is her usual self, she accepts that answer and continues to eat the cake, not at all bothered by the fact that there's a twenty-four-year-old detective hunched over the arm chair, staring right back at her.

.

.

Misa Amane rubs her eyes.

"Are you okay, Misa-chan?" The blonde nods her head, blinks away what looks to be pain and sends Nao a cheerful smile.

"My eyes feel a little itchy, maybe it's the new mascara." Nao takes a sip of her coffee and nods. "Misa-Misa tried this new brand, but it's not so good. I wanted to look extra pretty for my interview with the Yotsuba Group today."

"You're always pretty, Misa-chan. You'll dazzle them." The Second Kira suspect beams at her. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her eyes, just a little redness in the inner corner. Nao takes another sip of coffee.

"Ne Nao-chan. Will you come with me and Matsu to the interview?" And she looks so hopefully happy that Nao can't really think of a reason to say no. Besides, she's the one who made the whole thing possible in the first place.

"If you want me there, I'll come."

"Nao-chan!" The blonde throws her arms around her, singsongs her name. "You know, I never had girlfriends before, most of the girls are jealous of Misa-Misa. But you and I are best friends." Her eyes widen. "We can be sisters, ne?" She holds up her pinky, sending Nao a dazzling smile.

For a moment, Nao pauses, placing the teacup down on the table gently.

"That sounds nice, Misa-chan. I've never had a sister." And with that, Nao holds up her finger and crosses her heart, hopes to die. Misa claps her hands while giggling like a child.

"Nao-chan is the best. Oh, I'll go redo my makeup. The itching is making me crazy." And with that, the blonde run towards the bathroom and Nao can only stare at the disappearing blonde. She reaches for the cup again, takes a sip.

Uh, she didn't expect it to work this fast.

Five hours later, Nao is seated in a chair in the Yotsuba Marketing department, enjoying yet another cup of coffee while Matsuda tries and fails to play it cool with businessmen in suits. Misa is her usual self, making grown men fall over themselves with her cute smile and cheerful voice.

"Deushi-san." Higuchi Kyosuke sits next to her, a bit too close if you ask her. She smiles. "I hoped I would see you here today." Of course, you did. But she doesn't say that. Instead, her eyelashes flutter.

"Well, Misa-chan is almost like my sister. I'm here to support her." She steals a glance towards the blonde, who looks so much at ease with the attention on her. "I think your friends like her." Which pauses the question, why isn't he over there with them? Nao understands that most men would choose Misa Amane before her, actually loves that fact.

"Yes, well she is very beautiful." He tries to be suave. "But I'm more interested in you." Well, obviously, but the question is why? It's not that Nao doesn't understand her appeal. She knows that she's pretty. But Misa is beautiful and cheerful and actually loves the attention, not Nao.

"Oh?" She smiles, plays it calm and cool.

"If you're not busy after, I'd be happy to take you out." She's about to say no. "Your friend and her manager can come. We can even celebrate. She's pretty much guaranteed the job." From the corner of her eyes, Nao catches Hatori Arayoshi flirting with Misa. Nao's pretty sure he's married with children.

"Okay, sure." Misa will love that, won't she?

Of course, she does. Misa jumps up and down as Matsuda stutters on his words. Nao ends up in Higuchi's car, Matsuda and Misa trailing after them in another one.

"Deushi-san, what do you think of Kira?" People just love to ask her that question, don't they? But Nao's had enough practice that she could answer the question in her sleep.

"Honestly? I wonder how he does it, you know the heart attacks." She catches Higuchi's smirk. "But besides that, I don't think about it too much. People die every day and I'm not going to cry for criminals." That seems like the right answer.

"You want to know how Kira kills, Deushi-san?" She nods, even if she really doesn't. "Could you reach for my bag?" Uh? She finds the leather briefcase not too far from her, reaches inside.

Her cellphone rings at the exact moment and she wiggles it out of her jeans' pocket.

"Nao-chan!" Matsuda's voice is frantic. "Nao-chan, Misa-Misa just collapsed! She said something about her eyes and just fainted, I have to take her to hospital." But Nao barely hears his voice, she can't concentrate.

Because, in the backseat of the car, when she steals a look in the mirror, she realizes there is something sitting behind her seat, hunched over and curiously looking at her. The content of the briefcase spills over her, the tiny black book lending in her lap.

Silver letters spell out Death Note.

* * *

 **a/n : Cue cliffhanger! Two updates in two days? What, what is happening? Nao has touched the Death Note, Misa collapsed, L is acting like he cares, shit is about to hit the fan. I'm happy people like this story! For once, I'll let you decided, should L live or die? The decision is yours. Let me know! And drop a review, those are always nice.** **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**


	10. X

**She will watch his world burn.**

 **Enfer**

| The thought had crossed my mind, that in order to save this world from Hell, I might have to become the Devil |

 **X**

.

.

Her mother tries to guilt trip her once in her life. It doesn't work. Nao watches with a blank face as her mother leaves the room. She remains seated next to her father on the couch.

"Otou-san." He looks up from the book, surprised – because Nao never uses such a formal approach, she actually uses the English word 'Dad' when referring to him. "What just happened?" She doesn't understand.

"Ah. Your mother tried to make you feel guilty."

"Uh…" She stares at the television for a second and then turns back to him. "What's that?" And why did her mother suddenly leave the room afterwards like she was horrified with herself.

Her father pushes a bookmark between pages, smiles and reaches to pull her close to him. He always has that calm and cool exterior, the one she's always known and will always know him by.

"Well…" Her father is the one who teaches her life lessons. No one should be surprised she turned out the way she did with such an odd coach. "To be guilty of something means that you've done something that society or the people around you consider bad." She nods her head.

"But I haven't done anything bad." He pats her head, ruffles her hair.

"I know that." He smiles fondly. "Guilt comes in many forms. Some people will try to make you feel guilt so they can manipulate you, so they can make you do things you don't want to do." Uh, that sounds horrible. "When people feel guilty, they are weak, easy to push around."

"Do you ever feel it? Guilt?" He chuckles.

"No and you won't either." She blinks. "You and I are special, Nao. Do you know what that means?" She shakes her head. "It means that every action we do has a purpose, that everything we do has meaning behind it." He smiles. "We don't feel regret; we don't feel the guilt. And while it makes people around us angry that they can't manipulate us, we don't care."

"Like when Izumi-Sensei says that I daydream too much and that should pay attention to the lessons and I say that I don't care?" She tilts her head to the side. "Or when she says that she'll call my parents and I don't care either?" He nods, pats her head once more.

"Sure, like that." Maybe not exactly like that, Nao will realize as she grows up, but even back then as a child, she understands that the things most people cared about, she didn't. "And your mother is upset because she realized that she tried to do exactly what her own parents did to her."

Later, when her mother brushes her hair and kisses her forehead, Nao understands what guilt truly is. It really does make people weak. Her mother never tries it again.

.

.

"Yeah, they had to sedate her." Nao holds up her phone, sends a look towards Matsuda who is slouched over one of the chairs in the waiting room. "No, they don't know what could've caused it yet." She nods her head. "Yes, she's been asking for you – you should be here." She hears a rustle. "Okay, I'll tell him."

"Matsu." She says to the tired, worried detective. "Go home. Light is on his way and I'll wait for him." The fluorescent light is harsh on her eyes and that industrial chemical smell is everywhere around them.

"Nao-chan… I don't know what happened, she just collapsed." Matsuda feels too much. She knew it the first time she saw him and she knows it now.

"I know, but they've done everything in their power to help her. Now, we wait." The true problem is that whenever Misa wakes up, she's frantic and tries to remove the IV's in her arms. That why they've had to sedate her. "Go home. Get some rest, I'll look out for her." His smile is weak.

"Nao-chan, you and Misa-Misa are close. It's a good thing she has nice friends like you." Is she? Nao supposes she does feel some type of kinship towards the blonde. The both of them were thrown in the middle of the Kira case because of men who couldn't care less about them.

Matsuda squeezes her hand, doesn't bother straightening his wrinkled suit and sends a small smile her way. Nao calmly watches him disappear through the white swinging doors.

"Won't Higuchi worry if you don't hang around him?" It's good that it's the middle of the night and the emergency room is empty. Nao crosses her arms over her chest and stares at the air next to her. No, not at the air.

"We have a deal." Nao sits on one of the white chairs. "I only check up on him to make sure criminals die, besides that, he is free to do as he pleases." The voice is flat, bored even, but Nao isn't stupid enough to miss it. The Shinigami is worried about Misa.

"He thinks you're suspicious, that you somehow figured out that he is Kira." There's a pause. "But he's stupid enough to believe that he can seduce you with power and rally you to his side." Well, that certainly explains it.

"Ah." Nao is calm because the situation hasn't completely sunk in yet. There's a book, a notebook, it's black and the cover has silver letters on it. When you touch it, you can see the Shinigami that comes with it. "Misa will probably lose her eyesight, but everything else will be fine." It looks like she's talking to herself, she's sure. But there isn't anyone around anyways.

"Thank you." It's the first time the voice isn't totally devoid of emotions. Nao figures that if someone can seduce a mythical creature, it's Misa. That she has enough charisma to pull it off.

"So, Misa really was the Second Kira." And the detective had been right. "And Light really was Kira." Nao doesn't expect any type of confirmation. But just to say it out loud, to know it's the truth – L had been right all along. "But not anymore. Is this why Higuchi has the notebook?" The Shinigami hesitates, she can see it in the yellow eyes that stare back at her.

She needs to try a different approach.

"You care about Misa." She doesn't wait for an answer. "But that notebook, it destroys people and I'm guessing the only reason she got wrapped up in this is because of Light and her love for him."

"Misa gave up her ownership of the notebook, so I erased her memories." And it's probably the same things for Light too. "It would have been better if Misa never had the notebook. If she never touches it again, she'll never regain her memories of it."

And Nao realizes that even a Shinigami can feel guilt, that this unholy creature is somehow more human than her.

.

.

"Deushi-san." She smiles.

"Please call me Nao. We're friends now, aren't we?" And the man smirks as he slides into the chair opposite from her. She's picked this place because she has fond memories of it. Her father and her have brunch here often.

"Nao-chan, then." He complies so easily. She isn't surprised to find that there is no Shinigami with him today. No, the creature is still in the hospital, watching over Misa. "How is your friend?" She thinks for a second.

"She's fine. Well, as fine as one can be considering her situation. Her boyfriend is with her." Because the Light who isn't Kira is the kind of boy who cares, that is human. Nao fully understands that the Light that she's been around the last few months is the one untainted by the notebook.

She takes a sip of her coffee.

"Higuchi-kun, we didn't get to talk much last time." His smirk is overconfident. The Shinigami is right, he wants to seduce her with power, thinks that she will fall for it. "I was surprised."

"Yes, but you already knew, didn't you?" Maybe this man isn't as stupid as he appears. "The moment I saw you, I knew you were smart, Nao-chan, too smart not to know."

"Will you kill me, Higuchi-kun?" He laughs, it's sick and twisted.

"I'd much rather keep you by my side, Nao-chan." She holds her cup of coffee in front of her face.

"I supposed a king would need a queen." And she's just so good at playing that role. He laughs again, obviously pleased with her words. Her eyes sparkle. Maybe she really is gifted at chess, maybe she's just played the game wrong before.

The queen makes a move, this time it's on her own and she removes another pawn.

Check.

.

.

"Senpai." It's just her and L in the Task Force's main room. The screen that usually showcases Misa Amane doing inane things is black. Soichiro Yagami is off trying to console poor Matsuda who is still shaken. Watari never bothers them when their alone. Light is glued to Misa's side even if he hates it, because it's the right thing to do.

"Yes, Nao-san?" She has the oddest sense of déjà-vu or maybe it's just the fact that she's spent so many of her afternoons here, with him, alone, lying on the couch that she has claimed as hers.

"For someone like you, who has devoted his life to solving cases after cases, the worst feeling in the world would be to finally find a problem that he couldn't solve." She hears the chair slide on the floor and the next moment she looks up, black eyes stare back at her.

"Yes, that would indeed be the worst feeling in the world." She figured as much. Someone as narcissistic as him, who's spent his whole life trying to find the truth – he'd rather die than not be able to catch Kira. She smiles at him.

"What would happen, if the Kira killings stopped suddenly? If there were no more deaths and Kira disappeared?" But she already knows. The case would be put in the back burner; people would assume that Kira was dead or had just thrown in the towel. Life would return to the way it was before.

He's silent.

"You'd have to give up, wouldn't you? And in the back of your mind, you'd know you'd failed, that there was a case out there that you couldn't solve. That even the Great Detective L couldn't catch Kira. Would you be able to live with yourself, knowing that a killer whose murdered thousands still roamed the streets because of you?"

"Have I become that easy to read, Nao-san?" She can't even explain it, that look on his face. It's almost nostalgic, although she can't really see how. They've never had this conversation before. But maybe, just maybe, there was someone who once said those exact words, who realized the same thing as her.

Not solving a case would destroy him, but not quickly. It would be gradual, a slow gentle slope. It would eat at his insides and keep him up in the dead of the night, until one day even he would doubt his abilities. He'd solve other cases and people would still reach out for him – but it would never be the same.

"Eru." She spells out the letter like one would read kanji. And she doesn't hate him, not really. He doesn't care about the lives he destroys for his nonexistent war against criminals, but he's just a man. He has weaknesses. If you remove his purpose, what would he become?

She reaches out to touch his face. His cheek is cold against the warmth of her hand.

"You did it, you know?" He doesn't move away from her touch. "You made me care. Not about Kira, not about this case. Not even about the people that make up your Task Force." She smiles softly.

"Do you remember what you said to me? When you confessed about the fact that you'd never let me go if you somehow survived this case? Do you remember your exact words?" He blinks at her. For once, his thumb isn't in his mouth.

"Yes, I do." She smiles. "If Kira is brought to justice, if I somehow survive this, then I don't plan on letting Nao-san go." Yes, she remembers the words clearly. And then he'd done everything he could to try and break her, to bother her, to make it so she couldn't think of anything else than him.

"But what happens? What happens when Kira is never brought to justice?" His hand covers hers. She's not surprised by the strength of it, knows that he might not look like it, but he's actually strong physically. His hold is bruising and Nao knows that she's somehow found a way to anger him, that she's managed to do exactly what she wanted to.

She lives in a world where notebooks can give heart attacks to people. She lives in a world where Shinigami's exist. She lives in a world where there is a girl in the hospital who lost her sight because she fell in love. She lives in a world where the boy she used to baby sit wants to become a God.

And, in an alternate dimension, she isn't part of this. She is just a chemistry student who is passive and who never found a cellphone lying on the ground. In this other world, Kira and L battle it out without her in the middle. But that world doesn't exist, not anymore.

Because Nao cares now. And when she does, the world burns.

* * *

 **a/n: Here is a dramatic reenactment of what happened while I was writing this chapter;**

 **'Oh, I don't want L to die - but I still hates his guts. But I don't want Light to die either. Oh and Misa just lost her eyesight, so she's pretty much out of the game... what do I do? But, but wait a minute, if Nao finds the Death Note and destroys it before Misa and Light can touch it again, that means Light would never become Kira again, thus not dying. And if the Kira killings stopped, L would never be able to solve his case! Wah, I'm a genius. But wait, how am I going to make that happen, it seems farfetched a little'.**

 **Wait a minute, I'm writing a fanfiction about a magical notebook that kills people and Shinigamis - it doesn't have to make sense.**

 **And this happened. Nao has stepped up her game and of course she wouldn't feel guilty, I'm not even sure she has a conscience. And that would certain piss of L, even destroy him on some level - gosh, that's just perfect.**

 **I hope you enjoyed. I mean, fifteen reviews for one chapter? What is happening? Thank you so much for all of your feedback and I'm sorry to leave you on another cliffhanger. Three chapters in three days? What? I'm on a roll. And this story is almost complete! Thank you for reading, drop a review!**


	11. XI

**Checkmate; it's even better when you don't remember it.**

 **Enfer**

| the only real escape from hell is to conquer it |

 **XI**

.

.

October comes to an end. Nao's always enjoyed Halloween and she still does – free candy and what not. She understands that the Task Force may not be in the mood to celebrate, but that hardly stops her.

Watari even buys her pumpkins and Nao makes sure to carve one just for Misa – it won't fix it, but it's the least she can do – that and chocolate. Halloween makes her forget about the weird shit show that is now her everyday life. It might be childish, it might not please everyone, but she doesn't care.

"You're pretty good at this." Light says, studying the eyes of the pumpkin. Nao's never been particularly talented in the arts and craft department, but she can follow online patterns.

"You know what's the best part?" She feels her cheeks heat up in excitement. "We can clean the seeds and roast them with honey and sugar." But Nao knows that Light isn't a huge fan of sweets. "But I can make some salty ones, just for you."

He smiles, eyelashes fluttering as he takes a seat on one of the kitchen stools. She'd claimed the room since that very morning, Watari supplying her with round, beautiful and orange pumpkins, as many as she liked really. Matsuda had come in and she'd shushed him out. Soichiro had caught a glimpse of the pumpkin entrails and had merely raised an eyebrow.

And L… Nao doesn't really care that much. At some point, he'd just stopped in to watch her work, not once commenting or even pausing to blink. But really, she isn't surprised. He's been awfully weary of her since their little heart to heart. He doesn't avoid her and he still seeks her out, but it's different. Every day, when Matsuda gives the Kira report, she sees his eyes trail towards her as if expecting her to do something about it.

Nao loves every minute of it.

"Light…" The boy's eyes trail on her and she doesn't stop the knife stabbing at the hard flesh. "Are you happy? I mean, with your life as it is right now?" He blinks at her, his expression curious. Nao supposes her question is out of the blue, but a part of her wants to know.

"Well…" And there's a bit of amusement there. "Besides being accused of being a mass murderer on a daily basis and spending most of my time with a crazy detective, sure." He smiles. "I'm happy." He looks like he means it. No one understands Light's distain for the detective more than her, and if you take him out of the equation, than her and Light and everyone here will be able to forget about the whole nightmare those last few months have been.

Nao knows there's only one way to remove the detective from their lives. If Kira goes, then L goes. It's simple, just like two plus two equals four. But not that simple – it has to be sick and twisted, subtle and carefully planned. L has to win in the worst way possible and Kira has to disappear, without being caught.

"Why do you ask, Nao-chan?" She shrugs her shoulders. She can't very well come out and say 'because I know you were Kira and now you're not and I like you better this way so I'll just make sure you never touch the notebook of death again'.

"Because I want you happy, Light." She tilts her head to the side and smiles innocently. It's not a lie per se, but it's also not the truth. It just so happens that Light never becoming Kira again works out well for her.

Light stands up and reaches for her, his arms wrapping around her even though she has a large carving knife in her left hand and she smiles, not pulling away from the embrace, because being hugged by Light is nothing like being hugged by the detective.

Light is warm, comfortable and he's actually had practice with human contact before. It's a simple motion and he balances his height with hers so that it isn't awkward at all. Her body doesn't tense up; she doesn't feel that chill up and down her spine – when Light touches her she feels absolutely nothing.

That thought is oddly comforting and now she has to go back to her pumpkins.

.

.

"It's pumpkin pie." She says to the detective who eventually finds his way back in the kitchen that day. Watari is the one to accompany Light to the hospital to see Misa, Matsuda and Mogi and Chief Yagami are busy trying to find out who in the Yotsuba Group is the actual Kira (maybe she should just tell them, but that would foil her plan and no, just no).

Of course, she ends up alone with the panda like man.

"I did not know Nao-san cooked." Well, she can't cook much. Her mother does most of the cooking and when it's just her and her dad, they somehow always find a restaurant because they are both too lazy. But Nao can follow a recipe and she has watched her mother make pumpkin pie every Halloween for twenty years now.

"Just the pie. Would you like some?" He eyes her for a second and she can see the distrust. She cocks her head to the side. "I didn't poison it. Everyone had a piece and no one died." He can't actually believe she would poison him, right? Light has a much higher percentage of trying to kill him than her.

She's too lazy for that and he should really know by now.

"I suppose." He finally says, sitting on the stool next to hers. Her smile is wide as she slides the plate towards him, the piece of pie covered with an unhealthy amount of fresh whipped cream. Oh, she almost forgot.

Before he can stab his fork into the dessert, she pushes a small blue candle in the center of it. He looks at her, puzzled, blinking back dark eyes. She grabs the kitchen lighter and creates the tiniest flame.

"Happy Birthday." His eyes widen. His mouth opens and then closes. It's priceless. "Watari told me before leaving." She might not be the biggest fan of the man, but she can still wish him a happy birthday. So, a week ago she admitted indirectly that she wanted to destroy him – that doesn't mean she hates him (hate takes a lot of effort, too much for her, this whole ordeal tires her to no end, she just doesn't have the energy to hate him, to be bitter, to be petty).

"Nao-san always surprises me." He finds his voice again, looks at the candle in the center of the pie. "Not many people know of my birthday." She's figured that much, just like his name he keeps it hidden. Although Kira doesn't need a name, a face and birthday to kill. It must be one of his whims.

"You have to make a wish." She explains, like she would to a child. "And then you blow it." He looks at her and she can see it in his eyes; the amusement. It's just like Light earlier – both of them threat her the exact same way, as if she has one foot in their world and the other one somewhere else, somewhere they don't understand or want to understand.

Geniuses are childish and immature and vain. They like to win, they like to control their environments, feel as if they are allowed to and justified because they understand it better than everyone else. Nao wonders if they can even appreciate the simple thing of life, because she can.

The detective pauses, stares at the birthday candle and eventually blows on it, effectively snuffing it out. Nao moves to reach for the wax-made stick. She blinks as a hand grabs onto her wrist, holding it mid-air.

And she can't help it, can't help the way her body tenses up on it's own at the contact, that chill that runs quickly down her spine – the problem is that when L touches her she's aware of it, aware of his presence. Her skin crawls, her mind becomes blank; she feels (and what she feels is not the issue here, it's just that he can make her feel and she refuses to acknowledge what that means; she can't hate him, but she feels and no one has ever had an impact on her before).

"Have some pie with me, Nao-san." He doesn't move and Nao has that feeling that he won't let go of her wrist before she makes some sort of noise.

"Sure." He releases her and she cuts up her own piece, doesn't add the whipped cream to hers because she's never been a fan.

"Thank you." He says after the third bite, almost as if she's the first person to ever wish him a happy birthday. But that seems improbable because Watari knew. He smiles, genuinely, at her – it's just a smile because he appreciated something she did, something she didn't have to do. Nao answers it.

She has other, more important things to do than figure out this man and whatever her feelings are towards him. Nao can do that when she watches his world crumble before her.

.

.

Kerosene has that very peculiar smell, not as obvious as gasoline. Nao knows because there's a leak in the space heater once and the liquid soaks her mother's shoes so badly that she has to throw them out.

The point is, Nao can recognize that smell very easily, knows the texture. And she has to ask herself how her hands are currently covered in it. Because she can't remember, can't remember how it got there in the first place. She's on her way home – she can't recall where she was, what she was doing, but she's only two streets away from her house so she must've been on her way home – she has to pause in her steps, takes a look around, tilts her head to the side.

And that smell – she recognizes the kerosene and her hands feel oily as she rubs her fingers together. Uh, that's strange. Not that she's never used the liquid in her classes. But she's usually so careful, it wouldn't have leaked on her, not enough to stain her hands that way.

She thinks that maybe she should feel worried; about herself. Maybe the stress of what she now calls her life is finally getting to her, maybe her brain just can't take it anymore and now she has holes in her memory. Not that she cares if people think she's a lunatic, but if even she starts to think it, then maybe she needs a vacation from mass murderers and detectives.

When she makes it home, her father is already there (and that means that she's been gone for even longer than she anticipated because her father never makes it home before her). Her mother smiles as she walks into the living room, the news anchor calmly stating the fact that the house of a very prominent business man has gone up in flames.

"That's just horrible." Her mother says, eying the screen as the camera shows a close up look of a two-story house and the flames devouring it. There's a crowd of people blocked by policemen and firetrucks with sirens that scream out, canceling out any other noise.

"You know what that means, right?" Her father is calm and level headed – he regards the scene with detachment and she knows that it's probably where she got it from. "Yotsuba's stock prices will go down now that one of their VP is dead." But, isn't Kira part of that group? At least, isn't that what the Task Force has been saying for the past month?

"Yotsuba?" She says, curious, dropping her bag on the floor and sitting down in the armchair. On the TV, a woman with a microphone is commenting on how the firefighters are concentrating on making sure the fire doesn't spread to the neighbouring houses.

"That's Higuchi Kyosuke's house." Her father says. "You remember him, right?" Yes, but not exactly for the reasons her father thinks. Heck, she had lunch with him just a day ago. "They did find his body and dragged it outside, but it was too late and he was already dead."

"Uh." Because the universe apparently works in mysterious ways, but it also works in her favor. With Higuchi dead, she won't have to pretend anymore and maybe, just maybe, that means that Kira is dead.

"That's all so very morbid, isn't it?" Her mother has a sweet voice, Nao's always thought so. While she can never tell with her father, her mother practically wears her emotions, let's them permeate her voice. The woman turns to her. "We weren't sure when you were coming home – so how about we eat out tonight?"

Nao smiles.

"Sure, mom. I'll just go change." And wash up, because that kerosene smell on her hands is making her head spin – and if she was anyone else, she would probably find it weird that she smells like fuel and that the man she was trying to manipulate died in a fire accident.

But Nao is herself and she doesn't ponder on it, just marvels at how convenient this all is.

.

.

A week passes, but last time it was two. And while people aren't exactly going crazy, they whisper worriedly – about Kira, about the fact that he hasn't killed criminals in over a week (maybe he's finally been caught, maybe he's dead, maybe he's realized that this world is truly rotten and can't be saved).

Nao brushes Misa's hair, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

"Misa-Misa heard the news today." Nao hums, running the brush through blonde locks. "It said that Kira is gone now, that he hasn't killed any criminals in a week."

"Yes, I've heard that too." It's actually been the only thing some people have talked about. On the streets, at school, even her father had commented on it in passing. "But it's still too early to tell." Nao will actually believe it when it's been more than a month, when Kira is just a memory and the world picks up again.

"Misa-Misa is indebted to Kira, because he killed her parent's killer." Her voice is soft. "But maybe it's not such a bad thing if he disappears." Nao runs her fingers through the soft, silk like hair.

No, it's really not.

* * *

 **a/n : I don't know if it's true, but in my head, destroying the notebook would mean that everyone would lose their memories of it. Did Nao burn down Higuchi's house? I won't say yes or no, so you can think whatever you want for that.**

 **You know, I've been thinking and I wonder, should Nao and L actually end up together? Or do I just give them a very ambiguous, unclear ending that sort of ties them together? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and on this chapter. Thank you so much for all your feedback, I enjoy every review. I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading, drop a review and stay tuned for the end.**


	12. XII

**Uh.**

 **Enfer**

| I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way |

 **XII**

.

.

A year and a half. A year and a half of peace and quiet, of no Kira and no L – that's the deal she makes with the devil.

But a deal is a deal.

"You know…" She starts out, pushing her sunglasses atop her head and staring back at the man with a raised eyebrow. "When you said vacation, I expected sun, palm trees and a beach. Not raincoats." When the plane lands, it's already raining.

And the detective is still the same. Not that she expected a change. For someone to make a change, one has to find something wrong with the way they already are. Nao hasn't changed, not much anyways. She's grown up a bit more, but the only noticeable difference is that she now has a bachelor's degree.

She's fulfilling her part of the bargain.

"Is that so?" He's amused. A thumb ghosts over thin, chapped lips. "I'll be sure to make reservations for Hawaii next time." She almost tells him there won't be a next time. That this is just a momentary lapse of judgement, that she's only here because if she'd refused, he would have come to find her.

Besides, it's a free ticket to England. It could be worse.

She stares at him and, finally, rolls her eyes. The airport is crowded, it feels like she's taken a trip back in time because it's already tomorrow in Japan, she smells like airplanes and other people and, frankly, her neck is soar from trying to sleep in her seat the whole way.

"Watari is expecting us." He says, standing up. The man takes a look at her suitcase. "Nao-san travels light." Well, she didn't particularly expect this to be a long trip. Get it over with fast and then run back to the motherland, right?

Someone once said that illusions are by their nature sweet.

"Yeah, well, it's not like my gracious host told me much about the trip." She smiles then, sweet and eyelashes fluttering. She hopes he can feel the sarcasm drip from her words and he does, he just chooses to ignore it.

"No, I suppose he didn't." He grabs the suitcase before she can protest and she thinks that it's good her mother is the one who packed it, because she never would have thought about carrying a parka with her.

Nao's vacation, the one that she takes after her university graduation, starts out with a torrent of rain, a detective hurriedly pushing her into an expensive car and her questioning the meaning of life and her sanity.

But her sanity has been questioned for a few years now, ever since she decided to pick up that cellphone and get herself tangled in a mess with mass murderers and narcissistic detectives.

.

.

Nao takes one good look at Wammy's Orphanage and cocks her head to the side.

"Is this a place for all of Watari's illegitimate children?" Next to her, the detective makes a noise that definitely resembles a snort.

"This orphanage was established to cultivate the minds of gifted orphans. Also, to produce an heir should I be killed. Nao-san knows that my line of work can be dangerous." Tall, unfriendly gates open as the car pulls in.

"An heir?" Yes, narcissism at its finest. "God, I hope they're not like you." An unimpressed look is sent her way, followed by a flat expression. "I think I prefer the illegitimate children theory." Because the thought of mini L's running around is terrifying, just like Kira and the Second Kira procreating is enough to make her skin crawl.

Nao doesn't like children, she never has. She'd be a horrible mother and has no maternal fiber inside her body. And the thought of having killers and detectives reproduce in whatever way is a horrible, horrible image.

Watari sends her an amused stare as she blinks, trying to forget the weird mental images that are trying to resurface. So, basically, she's spending her vacation in an orphanage. She tries to be surprised, but that falls flat. There's that feeling in her guts that tells her she's literally entering the gates of hell.

She ignores it, because that's just ridiculous. Hell, would not have that much rain and L is not actually the devil, just a very sick individual who apparently likes to build empires that will one day be ruled by evil geniuses.

Maybe Light should have been the one here, not her. He certainly would get off on that thought alone. While the eighteen-year-old hasn't become Kira again, Nao is not stupid enough to believe he has put his delusions of grandeur on the back burner (just like she's sure he'll dump Misa soon enough, but that's a story for another time).

Her second impression of Wammy's is this particular moment. L stands up in front of a crowd of children, fifteen or so. And she's soaked from the rain and tired from the trip and very much jet lagged. He points at her and says;

"Everyone, this is Nao Deushi." She blinks. "And she is the only one who has ever made it impossible for me to solve a case." Really, he's still on that? It's been almost two years, he should let it go already – besides, he doesn't have any proof. "While she would be the obvious choice as an heir, she has absolutely no interest in solving future cases. Please take care of her."

Her expression is completely and utterly numb. Fifteen pair of eyes are on her and she almost turns around and asks Watari to drive her back to the airport.

Yep, even in English, he's still an ass.

.

.

She still hasn't figured out why she's spending her vacation in an orphanage. Not that the children are particularly bad. No, they're pretty calm in comparison to normal children, but they're still, you know, children.

"Is it true?" She's cornered on her way to the bathroom by a boy with a very – uh – unique hairdo. "That L asked you to be his heir and you turned him down?" Well, not, but he knows better than to ask her that.

"I suppose." Even if she knew children were evil before, the way the boy looks at her only reinforces her opinion. Chocolate brown eyes, blonde hair and an actual chocolate bar in his hand. This is the devil.

"Are you stupid?" She's staring to wonder that herself. No, she's not stupid, just clearly insane. Maybe there's a doctor around here that can give her a proper diagnosis and probably cause for going home. "What else could be better than becoming L's heir?" She snorts.

"Anything. Anything would be better than that." That's right, evil child. She's rather die than become L's substitute. "Heck, I'd joined a circus before that." She could twirl batons. She has pretty decent coordination.

"A circus?" He looks at her as if she's just spit on his God's and then announced that world is ending. If she were anyone else, she would feel bad. But Nao is Nao and she just rolls her pretty eyes.

"Yeah, want to come? I'm sure you'd make a fine fire breather." Again, the evil child looks appalled. "I think I could recreate the chemicals they use for that…"

"Fire breather?" She looks at him with a flat expression.

"Well, I am a chemist now. And it doesn't look that hard; you need a propellant… I'll let you know what I find." She disappears in the bathroom, knowing he won't follow her, thinking that this whole conversation is over.

However, the next day, Mello – because his name is Mello and what kind of name is that – intercepts her at breakfast. She's munching on some toast, reading the English newspaper and ignoring L, when the blonde menace calls her out.

"Woman, did you find the chemicals to make it happen?" L actually drops the fork he's holding and Nao turns towards the kid with a bored expression. The dining room has grown extremely quiet.

"Sure." And then the blonde terror grabs her wrist. "Want to try it?" See? She should not be allowed children or explosives, better yet children with labs full explosives.

She ends up blowing up the west wing of Wammy's house with him. But at least they are both wearing protective glasses and lab coats – safety first. Roger doesn't like her very much.

"Ah, to be young again." Watari is an enabler. But he has a lab fully stocked the next day and he says that it's all hers, for as long as she wants it. Mello takes up permanent residency in there.

Children aren't so bad, not when they have genius brains and a desire for chaos.

Matt goes where Mello goes, Near sort of tags along. She has three children with weird names draped in white lab coats with protective plastic glasses over their eyes. And, soon enough, there's word around the orphanage that she's giving special classes on how to blow up shit and children line up for it.

"Matt, that doesn't look right." She says, looking at the weird mixture that is currently cooking over a Bunsen burner. The boy looks up from his latest videogame, gives her a bored look and then turns back to the gaming device.

"Yeah, I messed up." Geniuses are crazy. Nao's eyes widen before she grabs the kid from the stool and yells at everyone to run as fast as they can.

She blows up the west wing, again, and Roger definitely doesn't like her. But Watari smiles indulgently and says it's nice to have some spirit around here. Mello laughs and laughs and she can see Matt smiling – that mischievous little devil.

.

.

"Nao-san looks very… comely tonight." Nao gives him an unimpressed look as she slides into the armchair in front of him. She doesn't know if he's referring to her pyjama with the gingerbreads on it or her fluffy bunny slippers. She doesn't care.

"Yeah, well, Mello is sleeping in my room tonight – again." He just sneaks in there, even when the door is locked. It's rather creepy so, she finds solace in the library. It's horrendous for her back though.

Nao really wonders what geniuses have against her peace of mind. Maybe, just maybe, if she finds their reason, she can make them stop all of their madness. She's only been here for a week. God, she can't take this much more.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" He looks up from his book, amused. "You bringing me here is just part of your evil plan to tie me down to you, isn't it?" She doesn't know why she bother asking, it's all so clear.

"It's just payback, Nao-san. You're the reason I never solved the Kira case." God, he needs to let it go. "And, besides, I suppose some part of me missed you." Yeah, she's not falling for that. Her expression is flat. "What really puzzles me is why you agreed to it so easily?" She blinks.

"We made a deal." Yes, a deal. A year and a half of peace, where he disappears and she can celebrate the fact that her life is normal again and then, when she graduates, he gets to take her for a vacation. She seriously expected palm trees and a beach somewhere. Not some orphanage for future psychopaths.

"Yes, we did." He nods. "But you could've said no. Actually, you could have said no from the very beginning. You never had a reason to believe Kira would kill you and yet you went ahead and landed yourself right in the middle of this." She's very aware of that. "And when you suspected Misa Amane of being the Second Kira, you…" His eyes sparkle. "You know what you did."

And she still doesn't regret it. Anyways, Misa is much happier now. Light feels so bad that whenever he wants to dump her, she used her blindness to pull him back again.

"Actually, if you hated me as much as you did, it would have been much easier for you to let Kira kill me." Oh, she's thought about it. But the truth is;

"I don't hate you." Hate is such a strong word and that's not what she feels. "I just have feelings towards you, but I don't think it's hate." Disdain, maybe. She doesn't like most of his personality, that's true.

He looks at her, bites his lower lip.

"And for someone like Nao-san, any type of feelings is rare." She nods. "And what do you plan to do about those feelings?" She blinks, shrugs her shoulders.

"Ignore them. It's what I always do." It's worked so well in the past, why would this by any different now? Just because she has feelings doesn't mean she should acknowledge them or try to describe them. The detective has always elicited some sort of response from her and he probably always will.

She accepts that.

"Why don't you try to do something about them?" She blinks at the words. "From the looks of it, this seems like a love confession, doesn't it?" How would she know that? She's never been in love.

"Are you suggesting I pursue you?" She scoffs. "With the hope of me becoming your romantic partner?" Like in those cheesy television shows Sayu always watches? Nao doesn't picture herself in the rain, eyes swollen, kissing her lover passionately.

"Yes, that is what I'm suggesting. Although, Nao-san has not taken into account something vital." She raises an eyebrow, defies him to point out what she's missed. "That perhaps I would be interested in a romantic partnership with her as well."

Uh. And you know what? He's right, she never thought about that.

* * *

 **a/n: _the end._**

 **Nah, I'm just screwing with you. Although, I couldn't resist. I mean, L and Nao and common sense can't be worked out in a single sentence. But they are getting there, you know, very slowly. Can I just take this moment to say that Mello and Nao are basically the best together. Ever since the beginning of this story, I was like 'damn, Nao would have fun at Wammy's' and it happened!**

 **I hope you enjoyed, I really do. I tried to keep everyone in character, but I haven't slept in forty hours so I'm slightly euphoric right now. Thank you to everyone who reviews, I saw that lots of you wanted L and Nao together, so I'm trying to make that happen, probably next to chapter. Thanks for reading and drop a review. I want to hear your thoughts on Wammy's!**


	13. XIII

**Nao has to admit that the job has some nice aspects; like shoes.**

 **Enfer**

| Hell isn't other people. Hell is yourself |

 **XIII**

"I have a case in America." L drops a folder on the table, picture of mangled bodies spread on the table. She hums, Watari pouring more coffee into her cup.

"Good morning to you to." She can taste the sarcasm in her words, makes her coffee bitter. She can't help that her eyes wander to the photos, to the way the bodies are positioned. That's right, bodies, because there are more than one.

She should be in the dining room with the kids; instead she's having coffee in the detective's room and gruesome pictures instead of bacon – not that she minds the blood or guts, maybe just not during breakfast.

"Ah yes, good morning." Watari busies himself with pouring another cup of coffee. He doesn't even flinch at the pictures on the table, not that Nao expects him to. He must be used to it by now.

At least Kira didn't make a mess like this, body parts thrown around carelessly and red, red everywhere.

"So, you're going to America?" That certainly looks like a case that would need actual on site contact and not just a laptop with the letter L on it. He nods. "When do you leave?" Not that she minds a few days of rest.

"Soon. I'll be gone a couple of days, a week at most." Overly confident as always. She almost rolls her eyes. Didn't she use to think that if he didn't solve the Kira case, it would eat away at him? He looks recovered right now.

"Nao-san, would you like to accompany me?" She blinks, her coffee sip not quite swallowed. "I'm sure Watari wouldn't mind sitting this one out." And by the looks those two shared, they've clearly talked about this before consulting her.

"You want me to drive you around and serve you cake?" Not that it sounds like the most difficult job in the world, but she distinctly remembers telling him that she had no interest in cases.

"I'm sure Watari would be more than happy to sit down with you and explain his job thoroughly." Spectacles shine in the sunlight and Nao feels a little… cornered.

She takes a sip of her coffee.

"It's not permanent, Nao-san. It can be just this once." She sighs – not buying it. Nao understands then, she understands that this was probably planned from the beginning. It's more than just feelings and revenge. He wants to bind her.

"Of course, there's no one I would trust more for the job than you, Nao." Ah, the old man just twists the knife in the open wound. He smiles at her and while she does answer it, she can't help but be a little miffed.

"Sure, why not?" And now she can just sign her life away on the dotted line, maybe with a little blood to make it official. You'd think she would have learned her lessons about making deals with devil and all that. She takes a sip of her coffee and decides that images of torn apart body parts are better than whatever this is.

"Thank you, Nao." For once in her life, she's ticked off with Watari.

"Now, we just need to do something about Nao-san's clothes." She nearly chokes on her coffee a second time.

.

.

Nao cocks her head to the side, takes one look at the black pumps and decides that she quite likes them. Well, she is a woman, isn't she? And she can certainly appreciate nice shoes, especially the expensive kind.

"Heels help display the talocrural region and the leg's dorsiflexion." She can read between the lines. Who would have thought? The Great Detective L has a preference for women in heels. "And, of course, traditional colors make one appear classier." She can't argue with that.

One of the sales assistant nods her head, even though Nao's pretty sure she can't understand a single word that comes out of the detective's mouth. However, he has a credit card in his hand that doesn't seem to have a limit and keeps reaching for all the more expensive brands and so far, he has impeccable taste.

Nao snaps a picture of the shoes with her phone and sends it to Misa, takes pity on the sales assistant.

"What he means is that he has a kink for women in heels; the kind that aren't flashy." She smiles then at the woman who seems to understand all of a sudden and rolls her eyes at the man who seems to enjoy bothering sales associates.

"How does Nao-san feel about handbags?" She makes a face.

"I don't like purses. I'd rather have a backpack." Her eyes scan the luxurious shop, land on one of the decked out, golden shelves and she point towards it. "I want that one." It's very, very pretty, enough that she knows she'll probably walk out of here with it even if he doesn't buy it for her.

It's not like Nao isn't used to expensive objects. While her family doesn't live in a mansion or have butlers, her father makes more than enough money and has a preference for Italian made suits and pricey leather shoes. And while her mother cooks and cleans, she does all of that with her diamond earrings and pearl necklaces.

It's all about priority, at least that's what her parents taught her – even if you have the money to buy an expensive car, you don't need the chauffer, you can drive it your own damn self.

Her cellphone beeps as the detective points to the backpack on the shelf – black and big enough to fit at least a hundred pictures of mutilated bodies or whatever L wants her to put in there. The text message reads, 'Light said it was a picture of very expensive shoes. You're so lucky' and then she receives a second text, from said Light, who simply says 'stop giving her ideas'.

"Nao-san, please try this on." She raises an eyebrow, totally unamused.

"Senpai, pencil skirts, really?" His thumb ghosts over his lips, the hint of a smile there. "You'd think you were grooming me to be a school teacher." All she would be missing is the high ponytail and the large ruler. She can see the white blouse that is paired with the taupe skirt.

"Ah, perhaps Nao-san would prefer a dress." No, she would not.

"Nao would prefer pants." He doesn't look like he likes that idea and shakes his head. He pushes the outfit in her arms and she barely has time to register as he pulls her away from her seat.

"We are on a schedule here, do not dawdle." She rolls her eyes.

"Your boyfriend is nice; a little weird, but nice." The sales associate says as she hands her another blouse to try on. Nao merely raises an eyebrow, looks at how the famous detective handles shopping for women's clothing and snorts.

Maybe, on a weird day, she would ask where he picked up his fashion awareness.

"You look… kind of hot?" Mello offers later when she tells him that she's leaving for a few days. The blonde takes one look at the grey skirt and the black blouse and the heels and the way her hair is pulled in a ponytail and raises an eyebrow.

"I look like a librarian." Nao says flatly; yep, a very rich, very stuck up librarian. Mello snorts and tells her that he'll try not to blow up the classroom while she's gone. She shrugs her shoulders and tells him that blowing it up is fine as long as he wears the proper safety equipment.

She should not be allowed children or teenagers. There are two types of people at Wammy's; sociopaths and people who enjoy spending time with sociopaths. And to be fair, she sorts of falls in both categories.

.

.

Nao uses one seat on the plane just for feet. Of course, he has a private plane. She distinctly remembers something about the Task Force Headquarters and helicopters.

"Not that I mind the expensive clothes, but why do I have to wear them?" She has an entire row of airplane seats all to herself and it's so ridiculous she wants to laugh. From the row next to hers, the detective looks up from his laptop.

"As Nao-san knows, even if workplace equality is promoted almost everywhere, some people, mainly in jobs viewed as man-only, still consider women to be inferior." She lives in Japan, of course she knows that. "Not only are you female, but you are also young – the clothes are a way to make you seem cold and detached, but also competent and respectable."

Uh, not bad.

"Also, they are not clothes that Nao-san would usual wear. Which means that one would really have to look to recognize you. Not that this job is particularly dangerous, but we do have to take a few precautions."

That actually makes sense.

"And last, but not least, I do enjoy watching Nao-san dressed like that." Her eyes narrow. "Of course, Nao-san always looks pretty." She decides to stick the headphones into her ears and complete ignore him for the rest of the flight.

.

.

Nao can't say she's nervous. She is not nervous as she strides into the dark room and some man in charge introduces her – for now she's promptly named Watari's temporary substitute and she's perfectly happy with that title – she isn't nervous when she pushes the black with white screen on the desk and takes a seat back and she's not nervous when she eyes the blown-up pictures of crime scenes that are coated with blood.

She has to yawn at some point because she's bored and keeps thinking about how amazing it will be to take off those heels once she returns to the hotel room.

"Hi." Lunch break and she blinks at the voice – the man is tall, not bad looking and maybe a few years older than her. He offers her a smile and she cocks her head to the side, her arms crossed over her chest. "I just thought I'd see how your first day on the job I – they mentioned you're Watari's stand in."

She thinks about it for a second and then smiles.

"It's fine." She just can't wait to take off the clothes and have an abnormally long shower. And the man smiles and for a second, Nao is reminded a bit of Matsuda who always made sure she was okay.

But the moment is shattered when the man leans in a bit too close and places his hand on her thigh. She blinks, her eyes going back and forth from the hand and to the sleazy eyes – definitely not Matsuda.

She stands up then and smiles at him, making sure to bat her eyelashes and tilt her head to the side innocently.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" She noticed the machine outside the room when she first came in. "My treat." Obviously, it works and he's still there when she returns five minutes later and hands him a Styrofoam cup with a wink.

"One of the officers on the case suddenly became ill." There's a pointed stare towards her as she kicks the heels off her feet and let's herself fall on the couch.

"He'll live." She pretends not to see that mildly amused look on the detective's face and stretches her feet instead.

"Nao-san…" And then he shakes his head. "I do not understand how people fail to see how dangerous you are." She blinks, turns her head to the side so she can stare back at him. He's perched on one of the armchairs, plate of cake in front of him and fork paused in between lips.

"People have no self-preservation? Especially when it comes to defenseless women like myself?" Not that she's violent or psychotic, but people show know better than to try anything with her.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm still alive even if aggravate Nao-san on a daily basis." And he truly looks puzzled. She smiles.

"Well, after all the efforts I took to make sure you didn't end up one of Kira's victim, it would be counterproductive if you suddenly dropped dead, don't you think?" Besides, it's not like she actually kills people.

Later that night, after she's had the shower of the century, she's curled on one end of the couch, eyes on the TV and trying to digest the Chinese takeout that doesn't taste anything like actual Chinese food.

"Did Nao-san have time to look at the case?" She blinks at the screen, turns her head to the side to watch the other occupant of the couch and nods her head.

"It's kind of hard not to when I had to sit through at entire meeting for it." And the enlarged pictures of dead bodies everywhere, the crimes bloody and violent.

"What did she think of it?" She rolls her eyes at that, is reminded of their first few meetings.

"Well, clearly it's not a serial killer, more like a mass murderer who still hasn't found a pattern. And while the victims have no obvious connection, when you pull up their transaction records, you can see that they all stopped at the same convenience store. I'm pretty sure that if you pull up the employee schedule, all of them talked to the same clerk –

There are several things that are wrong with what follows; the way he presses his body onto hers almost sends them crashing to the floor and since he's stopped her mid-sentence, her mouth is frozen there, opened and she has to blink a couple of times before actually closing it and returning the kiss properly.

Not to mention that barely twenty-seconds before, they were talking about murder. But that hardly matters, especially when his hand sneaks under her pyjama top and she gasps, jerking at the touch. She can feel the smirk on his lips and his weight on her and, when she moves to reach for his shoulder, they fall on the floor.

She lands on top of and hums; fisting her hands into his shirt and pulling at the fabric. It's better that way. First off, she probably has a lot more experience at this kind of thing than him and, secondly, she rather likes being on top.

.

.

"It was Colonel Mustard, in the study with the ranch." She says when Mello asks how it went. The blonde rolls his eyes at her and she smiles. Actually, it was the clerk from the convenience store, with whatever heavy object that was lying around – but she keeps that fact to herself.

"Oh, and I had sex with L all over the hotel room." Mello actually chokes on the chocolate she brought back for him and Matt keeps pounding on his back until he spits out a big, spit covered chunk.

* * *

 **a/n: So, in the end, they do end up together, in some bizarre, totally weird way. Not that there is any other way they would actually admit they are attracted to each other. This has been a wild ride and I don't know if you call this a happy ending, but it is the end. Honestly, if you guys want some sort of epilogue, I could probably whip up one, but I'm glad with this being the end.**

 **I want to thank everyone who stuck with me till the end. Honestly, I never expected this amount of positive feedback, especially for an OC. I hope I did the Death Note characters justice and managed to keep them all within the realm of what is possible for them. Drop a review and, if you want to check out my other stories, feel free to. Thank you so much for everything and I hope we meet again for another adventure.**


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